The Tribe
by myownmind
Summary: The Brujah finally make a move against Cash. Meanwhile, a renegade Nosferatu is embracing young men against their will. Julian has his hands full.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own "Kindred: The Embraced" or any of their characters contained therein. They belong to the writers who created them and the actors who played the parts._

_A/N: This is a story I wrote years ago. I finally decided to dust it off and submit it. I hope you enjoy it._

CHAPTER ONE

"You must do this thing, Sasha." The voiced was menacing. Bodies were pressing around her, closer than felt safe.

"I won't," she hissed pushing against the nearest body. It was solid as a rock, and just as cold, just as unmovable.

"You have to. Or else, your own clan will disown you." The words echoed around her, coming in different voices, each as frightening as the other.

"I'll go back to Julian," Sasha desperately wanted to get away from the forces surrounding her. Ot take a breath of fresh air. All she could smell were unwashed bodies and cloying perfumes and aftershaves. The older the vampires got, the harder to hide the scent of death.

"We'll kill you both." Her tormentors swirled by her sight, making her dizzy. Their bodies pressed closer against her, blocking out the light. She felt like she was drowning.

"You wouldn't dare. He's the prince!" She couldn't believe what she as hearing. The entire Brujah clan had lost its mind.

"Prince's come and go. Who knows, maybe we'll find one among out own clan.

"You will help us kill Cash. He has to pay for what happened to Eddie."

"Lily was the one who killed him." Maybe this was a bad dream and she was going to wake up any moment now.

"Lily may yet be of use to us. Cash is of more use dead."

"I love him!" Sasha cried in anguish.

"All the more reason to get rid of him. He keeps you from fully coming over to the Brujah clan."

"I love him." Sasha's voice had lost all strength. Her knees gave out and she slowly slid to the floor. Clasping her hands on either side of her head, Sasha tried to block out the voices. She tried to block out the scream from deep within herself at the realization that they were right.

"Tonight." The words echoed around her, through her. "We'll do it tonight. Sleep now." And she did.

OOOOO

The crowd at the Haven was more plentiful, wilder than usual. A current of electricity moved through the rooms. Whether from the number of humans around or from a general sense of excitement, Cash couldn't tell. The thought disturbed him. Any chance of trouble had to be acknowledged and prepared for. Julian had to be kept safe at all costs.

Cash stood at the bottom of the staircase that led to the private conference room on the second floor. Scanning the faces floating around the dance floor, he picked out a few from his own clan, the Gangrel. There were several others from the Brujah, including Sasha hanging toward the back of the room. , a few Toreador and fewer still Ventrue. The Kindred were vastly out numbed this night. It did not bode well with him.

A red haze emanated from the humans, pulsed with each beat of their hearts, drawing Cash toward the nearest one. A petite blond was giving him the eye. Cash caught himself after the first step. He hadn't fed yet and was allowing the hunger to get the better of him. He turned his mind back to business.

At the top of the stairs, a meeting was going on between Lily and Julian. Whatever they were discussing, they wanted it to stay between them. Even though they knew anything Cash might overhear would never be repeated by him.

"Hi." Cash nearly jumped, having not heard Sasha come up beside him. The newly embraced Brujah was refining her skills.

"What are you doing here?" The question came out in a knee-jerk reaction, no thought required or requested. A veil dropped over Sasha's wide, brown eyes as pain registered.

Immediately, Cash felt a flash of remorse. He hadn't intended to hurt her. He loved her, had since the first time he'd met the then human girl. "I'm sorry," he said, the sentiment genuine.

"You're forgiven," the dark haired young woman replied, a smile playing across her full lips. But the shadow stayed over her eyes. "Where's Julian?"

The question, while completely innocent, set the young Gangrel's nerves on edge. "Upstairs." A quick glance of the room over Sasha's head indicated that no one was paying undue attention to the duo.

"Can you get away for a couple of minutes?" Something was upsetting the woman. It probably had to do with the aversion their two clans had for each other.

"Sure. What's going on?" Not answering immediately, Sasha caught hold of his arm and tried to draw him toward the rear exit.

"Not here. There're too many people." Sasha had her back toward him as she led him though the crowd standing on the sidelines to the door.

Alarms were going off in his head but Dash loved her and refused to believe that she would deliberately hurt him. He glanced back into the building just as they passed through the doorway. The alarms grew louder.

Sasha let go of his arm once they reached the dark alleyway. Then she moved a short distance away. "I have something to tell you," she said with her back still toward him.

"What's wrong?" Cash took a step toward Sasha, his hands coming up as if to rest on her stiff shoulders. He never got that far.

There as a flash off to his right, just over his shoulder. Then something struck him, hard, sending him crashing into Sasha. Pain blossomed through his right shoulder and side.

Cash fell to the ground as Sasha untangled herself from him, rolled onto his back to look up at her face. The person staring down at him was barely recognizable. A sneer deformed her mouth.

"Why?" was all Cash could manage. They had used bullets dipped in phosphorous. It wouldn't kill him but it would leave him weak as a kitten.

"You were my one weakness, Cash. We had to get rid of you," Sasha stated, her voice completely devoid of emotion. They were no longer alone. Four more Brujah had joined them. They stood around him, staring down at Cash.

"Time to go," one of them growled. One of the men threw a blanket over Cash,. It was more to hide him from sight than for any concern for his heal. He picked Cash up like a rag doll. There was nothing Cash could do, not even scream. Sasha had been right. He was her only weakness. She was his and he was paying dearly for it. Cash was dumped unceremoniously into the trunk of a car then the trunk was slammed shut over his head.

"I'm sorry Julian," was Cash's last thought before he slipped into unconsciousness.

OOOOO

The meeting over, Julian made his way down the stars. At the bottom, he glanced around the busy bar, expecting to see his bodyguard, Cash, somewhere nearby. Concern began to gnaw at him when he didn't find Cash. Off to Julian's left stood a Toreador. "Have you seen Cash?" he asked.

The woman shook her head, no. "He was here an hour ago, waiting, and then he was gone."

"Did you see him leave?" Julian persisted.

Several other Kindred, sensing the Prince's distress, had drifted over, coming in partway through the conversation.

"No," the Toreador replied.

"Have any of you seen Cash?" Several of the faces staring at him were Brujah. Every one of them were shaking their heads, indicating they hadn't.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked. She'd come down the stairs to join Julian. Then realization hit her. "Cash?"

Julian shrugged his shoulders and took another look around the room. Even though he was young, Cash was one of the most dedicated Gangrels he had ever known. To just disappear while the Prince was out in public, the isolation of the meeting notwithstanding, went against everything the kid stood for. Something had happened to him, something bad.

There, at the back of the room, slipping out the front entrance, was a mass of curly brown hair.

"Sasha!" Julian called out. The young woman was his granddaughter, although she thought he was her uncle, and even being a Brujah, she'd tell him the truth.

He had to cross the room and grab her arm. She'd chosen to not hear.

"Sasha," Julian repeated.

"What?" She turned to face him. The same familiar broad face he loved but her eyes were different, harder.

"Have you seen Cash?" The longer his bodyguard was missing, the more alarmed Julian was becoming.

"Yes."

"Where is he?" The Prince of the Kindred was aware of the love between his friend and bodyguard and his granddaughter. The lack of emotion she was now exhibiting was puzzling to him.

"Gone," was her simple response. Several Brujah were gathering around them. The animosity emanating form them would have frightened the most courageous man but Julian chose to ignore it. The Brujah clan had long grumbled about his being named Prince and had made several veiled threats but that was all they were, threats. Despite their angry words, even the Brujah weren't crazy enough to go against him. There was no one in any of the clans to replace him if he should die.

"What do you mean, gone?" Julian demanded.

"Lose your shadow, Prince?" one of the bolder members of the crowd asked. Murmurs of amusement spread through the gathered Kindred.

"You haven't answered my question," Julian pressed. He still had hold of his granddaughter and was forcing her to look him in the eye. She would rather stare at the walls or the floor than attempt a blatant lie. Luckily, she wasn't required to.

"He's dead." It felt as if someone had plunged a knife into Julian's chest. Not a pleasant experience, he ought to know having gone through it once.

"What are you talking about?" Julian couldn't believe what he was hearing or how calm Sasha was.

"He was shot and taken out to the hills to die." The tension in the crowd increased as they waited for the Prince's reaction.

The expression on Julian's face made the young woman wish she hadn't seen it. There was pain and rage reflected in his dark eyes. Julian's mouth was drawn tight with similar emotions.

"Where did you take him?" Julian demanded. At the very least Cash deserved a decent burial, if he was dead.

Sasha pulled her arm away from Julian's grasp. "I don't know." She turned and exited the climb, five Brujah clansmen surrounding her as a buffer from humans and other clans.

"Where is he?" Julian demanded, a feeling of helplessness washing through him.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

The first thing Cash became aware of was pain. It pulsed through every inch of his body, wrenching a gasp from his lips. The phosphorous from the bullet had travelled through his body while he was unconscious. He felt as if a thousand knives were being thrust into his skin. Moving only made it worse.

Once the initial shock wore off, Cash was better able to handle the pain, compartmentalize it so it didn't affect him so much. He had no idea where he was or how long he'd been unaware. Op

Opening his eyes, he found it was still dark and it took a moment or two for his pupils to adjust. Hovering several feet above him were leaves and tree branches. Several feet above that were stars and open sky.

Off to his left, somewhere beyond Cash's range of sight, a small animal was scurrying about, collecting its evening meal. The thought reminded him how hungry he was feeling. If he was more up to moving around, he might have made the animal a snack for himself. As it was, Cash pushed the thought away and concentrate on his surroundings.

He was lying on grass. Cash could feel the cool, sharp blades against the palms of his hands. The Brujah had left him flat out on his back, probably hoping he wouldn't come to until after the sun had come up. In his weakened state, the sun may prove deadly for him.

The small meadow Cash was in was circled by trees. What lay beyond them was anyone's guess. Forcing his body onto its feet, ignoring the pain as much as possible, Cash decided to head east, toward the rising sun. The trees would give him some shade, some protection. Now, Cash just hoped he made a good guess as to which direction was east and set off.

OOOOO

Within half a mile, Cash was staggering, barely able to maintain an upright position. The terrain had changed quickly from grassy meadows to rolling hills to jagged mountain crags.

Over the top of the mountain peaks, the sky was steadily becoming lighter with the advance of the sun, despite the clouds gathering on the horizon. He had to find a shelter of some kind for the day. Once night had returned, he'd try another direction. The one he'd chosen had so far proved to be a dud. A

quick look around didn't reveal much. He stood on top of a ridge. The trees were long behind him, the valley below obscured by darkness. He wasn't sure there'd be any place to spend the day below but it was worth a try.

The ground was covered by rocks and pebbles, making walking difficult. Cash had made it halfway down the incline and thought he might actually make it to the bottom. His foot twisted underneath him. He tumbled down the embankment, unable to stop, and came to a skidding halt yards later. During his long trip, his head managed to connect with a large boulder, knocking himself unconscious.

OOOOO

The morning had dawned clear and bright but had quickly darkened as storm clouds rolled in. Still, Chris had decided to go for a walk. It had been nearly a week since the last time she'd been out. She was feeling an undeniable need for wide open spaces and grass underfoot. Friends had warned her that walking in the foothills alone was dangerous. Wild animals or wilder people may find her. She chose to ignore them. Chris had a basic need to connect to the earth. The city left her feeling stifled, less than alive.

Without conscious thought, Chris had all ready gone farther into the hills than she'd ever gone or intended to. The storm was coming up quickly. She could feel dampness in the air that hadn't been there moments before. Chris supposed that she should find shelter somewhere soon before the storm broke. She was too far from home to reach it in time.

At the bottom of a deep gulley, Chris scrambled over the loose gravel and boulders, intent on searching the walls for a cave or even a recess to slip into. The sky had darkened further. The wind was picking up, blowing dead leaves around. Off in the distance, Chris heard the dull rumble of thunder.

Chris paused to enjoy the electricity in the air. It felt as if the world held its breath, to see what the storm would bring. Closing her eyes, she lifted her face to the sky as the first raindrops fell. Chris felt alive. Her soul thrummed through her and was at one with the world.

The wind velocity increased, causing it to howl down the gulley. Along with it came a new sound, a low moan. It shocked Chris out of her reverie. The moan had come from human lips.

Turning her face to the wind, Chris scrambled farther along the gulley. Just on the other side of a large boulder, she found him. A young man, maybe twenty-two years old, lay sprawled out. He head rested against the rock surface where he'd obviously struck it in his fall. There was a large gash marring his youthful features, blood flowing freely.

"Hey, are you all right?" Chris asked, roughly shaking his shoulder like they taught her to during the CPR class she took in high school. There was no response. Her hand came away wet with blood.

A quick check for a heart beat sent her stomach plunging down around her ankles. There was none evident beneath her finger tips. "Don't do this to me," Chris muttered to herself. She sought other points to feel for a pulse.

The boy moaned again, shifting under her hands.

"I don't believe this," Chris felt her world shift over a few feet from the safety mode. Even without a heartbeat, this boy was alive!

Rain had begun to fall in earnest. They were both soaked through in seconds. Alive or dead, it really didn't matter. The boy was still moving and therefore needed to get out of the rain.

The gulley walls along this section were rougher than lower down. Through the darkness, Chris could see shadows within the shadows. Hopefully one of them would offer protection. She hated to leave him but Chris also couldn't see dragging him from one shadow to another.

The left wall was closer so she set out along it. At first it seemed like a hopeless cause. Chris covered a full one hundred yard of almost seamless terrain.

"Great, just great," Chris thought. A feeling of panic was crowding in around the edges of her conscious mind. Probably some of her unconscious mind as well.

The rain hadn't let up. Small rivulets had sprung up along the edges of the gully, cascading toward the hill bottom. Chris had long since been soaked to the skin and was now developing a definite chill despite the warmth of the temperature.

There! Two feet ahead, black within black. What looked like a cave mouth. Her heart in her throat, Chris crossed the distance in a flash. Sure enough there it was. A small cave probably dug out by kids or maybe even a small bear. She couldn't be positive. Chris wasn't sure she really wanted to know one way or the other. It wasn't very big. They'd have to snuggle pretty close to fit. At least it was above the water line and dry.

OOOOO

Minutes later, the handsome young man was huddled in the cave. He had not as yet come to. At least not that Chris was aware of. In the process of moving the boy, she had discovered that his left arm was broken. But, at least it was a clean break, no compound fracture. Chris was going to have enough trouble in the high humidity to get the head wound healed properly.

In the dark recesses of her mind, Chris was hoping desperately someone else would come along. Then she could hand the responsibility to them. No matter how trustworthy they appeared to be at first glance.

The thought of spending any length of time pressed against this person, who had no heartbeat and was cold to the touch, sent chills through her. Chris shook herself, both mentally and physically. There was no one else here to help the boy, whatever his problem is. She could never live with herself if she turned her back and walked away from him. What's the worst that could happen? That the boy might die? A strained chuckle burst from her lips.

The boy stirred against Chris's side, shifting around as if he was checking out his injuries.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice sounding small in the darkness that surrounded them. Chris had trouble seeing her own hand in front of her face in the gloom of the cave, much less be able to see her companion's expression.

The storm continued to howl outside the entrance. Rain was still falling, having never let up. A chill breeze whipped around their sanctuary before slipping back out the hole.

"A friend. Try to rest, we're going to be here for a while," Chris replied, hoping he'd take the hint and go back to sleep. He did. Chris breathed a sigh of relief and settled in to wait for the storm to wear itself out.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

"Frank, I need your help." It just about killed him but he choked the words out. Julian Luna, Prince of the Kindred, stood in the middle of the San Francisco Police detective squad room. He stood beside the desk of the only human who knew of the kindred's existence and survived the knowledge with his humanity intact.

"What can I do for you, Julian?" Frank asked, a decidedly self-satisfied smirk marring his youthful face. The human leaned back in his chair crossed his hands and rested them on his chest.

"It's Cash, he's missing." Julian was decidedly uncomfortable discussing his friend in his present situation. There was too large a chance one of the other detectives may over hear them.

"Young kid, your bodyguard." Frank looked at the Prince for confirmation. After a moment's hesitation, Cash was in actuality considerably older than the detective but he chose not to argue the issue, Julian nodded his head, yes.

"What happened to him?" Frank wasn't really all that interested. One less blood sucker more or less didn't matter to him. If he wasn't so bored, he wouldn't have listened to the man at all. He used the turn loosely.

"The Brujah made a move against him. They dumped him in the hills. I need help to locate them." Julian had lowered his voice and glanced around the room to make sure no one was paying attention to them or their conversation.

"Yeah, like I'm really going to go tramping through the woods to look for one of you." Frank sat up and started shuffling papers on the top of his desk. "Sorry. I'm busy."

"It is because of me that you still live!" Julian was losing his cool and he knew it. He paused, took a few deep breaths and tried again.

"He is more than my body guard. Cash is my friend. He's out in the hills somewhere, hurt, possibly dead and I can only search for him at night and a few hours during the day,."

The concern this man was exhibiting was genuinely touching, as much as Frank tried not to admit it. "All right, all right," he said as he pushed back from his desk and stood up. "Do you know where they dumped him? That's a huge area out there."

Relief flooded through Julian as he unfolded a map he pulled from his pocket. "This is as close as they would tell me," he said, indicating a circle on the foothills of the mountains. He paused to consider his next words carefully. "I must warn you, Frank. Degolas and some of the other Nosferatu clan are out searching right now. If you stumble on to them, they may become violent."

Well, then, I guess you'd better come with me. Just in case." Frank stopped himself. Then he added. "Sunlight can't kill you, can it?"

"If we've fed we can stand it for a few hours. After that it burns exposed skin." Julian's discomfiture had returned, the noise level of the room was at a steady crone but he was still worried about being overheard.

"Exposed skin?" What about unexposed skin?" the Nosferatu were the oldest of the Kindred clans and while they were, generally, loyal to their prince, they were also inclined to bend the rules when it suited them. Frank wanted Julian with him, to keep the clan in line.

"I could wear sufficient clothes to protect my skin but prolonged exposure to the sun will make me weaken quickly."

"We'll work it out." Frank led the way through the maze of desk and out the squad room door.

OOOOO

Sunlight filtered down into the gully. In the glow, Chris could make out her charge's face. It looked so young and pale. She felt a pain go through her chest. Whatever he was, she would do everything in her power to keep him in existence.

Weakly, the boy stirred against her side. Then his eyes fluttered open and he looked around at the cave walls. His eyes came to rest on Chris, the only barrier between him and the sunlight.

"Who are you?" It was the first question that came to his sluggish mind.

"My name's Chris. I found you, unconscious, at the bottom of this gulley. What were you doing out here?"

Try as he might, Cash could not come up with an answer. He couldn't remember how he came to be in the hills. For that matter, he couldn't remember where he'd been before he woke up in the cave with this woman lying beside him.

"I don't know," Cash replied, fighting the panic that was threatening to take over. His shoulder, head and leg hurt. He wasn't sure which hurt the worst. They seemed to be throbbing in unison.

"Why not?" Chris asked.

"I don't remember," Cash responded.

"What's your name?" Chris was becoming a little anxious herself. This kid could be a mass murderer for all she knew and apparently, he knew.

"Cash." At least that was the name that came to mind.

"Do you have a last name?" Chris was hoping to find some relatives, if Cash, what an odd name, really couldn't remember, he would need help jogging his memory.

Cash stared at Chris blankly, panic reflected in his bright blue eyes. Something at the back of his mind was trying desperately to push its way through the fog. Something he had to know. But it was just out of reach, floating just beyond his grasp as he tried to catch it. "No," was all he could force through his clenched teeth.

"Okay," Chris stated, considering her options. "We're going to have to get you out of here. How badly are you hurt?"

"I don't know." Chris was quickly becoming tired of that answer.

"First things first." Chris slowly, stiffly unfolded herself from the cave and crawled out into the open air. It felt good to be out of the confined space. She'd never been a big fan and was even less of one now. Carefully, she climbed up to her feet and stretched her cramped back and legs

Behind her, Cash was struggling to follow her example. He was having more trouble than she had had. His right arm was so weak to be nearly dead. Pain blossomed through his mind every time he tried to use it. His left ankle was swollen and stiff from having twisted it in his fall.

Unfortunately, Cash didn't remember either event and was somewhat taken aback by the pain and uselessness. The headache that pounded with every move was the least of his problems. He managed to pretty much ignore it.

Realizing that Cash couldn't do it alone, Chris turned and bent down to help the young man out of the cave.

Just as Chris pulled her young charge out into the waning sunlight, the skin on his left arm began to turn a bright pink colour. Cash sucked breath between his teeth as the new pain registered.

"What's wrong?" Chris asked, concerned this boy needed to get to a hospital. His injuries were beyond her capabilities.

"I don't know." Cash was looking as confused as Chris was feeling. The thought of smacking Cash across his face for saying those hated words flashed through her mind. She squashed it. It wasn't helping.

As Chris stood there staring at Cash, the skin went from pink to red and was beginning to crack around the edges. It was only the sections of his arm where the sun hit it. 'Why not," she thought to herself. 'He doesn't have a heart beat'.

Quickly, to prevent further injury, Chris nearly dragged the young man back among the shadows created by overhanging weeds, grass and trees along the gully edge.

"I don't believe this," Chris muttered, making sure Cash's entire body was out of the sunlight. This was going to make getting home somewhat more interesting. Chris had no desire to make the trek in the dark. She didn't know her way around the hills that well.

"Is the skin covered by your clothes burning too?" Chris had to get more details.

"No," Cash replied, weakly. It was all getting to be too much for him. Darkness was threatening to overwhelm him. "I don't think so."

"Well, at least that's something." The boy was wearing a black, long sleeved shirt, black jeans and boots. She had to figure out some way to cover his head, face and hands.

For her part, Chris was self-conscious about her body and the extra weight she carried around. As a result, she always wore several layers of clothes for camouflage or protection. She was never quite sure which. It had been chilly when she left home so she'd put on a big sweatshirt over her tan cotton shirt.

Now the temperature had risen high enough that she was becoming vaguely uncomfortable. Still, Chris stripped off the sweatshirt just long enough to take the cotton shirt off and then slip it back on. The cotton shirt was ripped into three pieces, the sleeves and the rest of the material. With some difficulty, Chris managed to rip three strips off the bottom of the body of the shirt.

Cash was barely conscious as Chris pulled the shirt sleeves up over his hands and lower arms and secured them with the other strips. Likewise, she used the body of the shirt for around his head and tied it in place with the third strip.

"There," Chris said as she sat back on her haunches to inspect her work. "At least you won't burn."

All Chris got in reply was a hushed mutter and a flicker of closed eyelids. Now being as a good a time as any, Chris examined Cash as thoroughly as she felt comfortable with.

She found the wound on the back of his right shoulder. The wound itself wasn't that bad. The bullet had grazed his scapula and ricocheted so the entry and exit wound while kind of nasty to look at were not deep and was no longer bleeding. It was the skin around them and down his side that concerned Chris. It had purple tracks running over and through it as if purple dye had been injected under the skin. Gently, she palpated the largest of the tracks. Cash moaned loudly and tried to pull away from her finger tips. "Sorry," she said. Apparently that wasn't such a good idea. "What is this?"

The dreaded words again. "I don't know," Cash mumbled then he was out.

Even though he was taller than her, probably by six inches at least, Cash didn't have any weight on her. Chris was thankful for that as she pulled him up to his feet by his arms and slid him over her shoulder. The trip home was definitely going to take longer than the walk here had. One step at a time, Chris thought to herself as she did just that.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

"This is like looking for a needle in a hay stack, Julian." The afore mentioned was about ready to deck the police detective walking beside him. Since the two of them had begun searching for the missing Gangrel premagin, Frank had done little more than walk and complain.

"You know," the human continued. "Maybe he burned and there's nothing left TO find."

"He wasn't dead when they left him," Julian hissed through clenched teeth. The farther they went the slower the Kindred prince was forced to walk as what little strength he had ebbed.

"That's kind of an odd thing to say about a vampire. After all, Cash is dead. He needs blood to make his heart beat." Frank stated.

Choosing not to be baited into arguing with the man, Julian held his tongue and ignored him. Not being Cash's sire, he didn't have the same telepathic connection that he would have. Being the prince, however, connected him to all Kindred, to a much lesser extent. The Kindred he was closest with, Lily, Degolas, Argon, Cash among others, were more open to him. The one pitfall was that he had to make the connection at a conscious level it didn't just come to him like a daydream. Hence the reason he hadn't been aware of Cash's peril. But could now feel the pain, a ghost of what the young man was feeling himself, and, therefore, knew him to still be within this world.

That pain was guiding him now, but it was a tenuous link and had to be nurtured and concentrated on. Arguing with Frank, while in other circumstances he might have invited the chance to not think directly about their reason for being out in the woods at high noon, was not currently helpful.

"Are you sure you need me here? You look like you're in your own little world. One I can't get into," Frank said.

Just as Frank finished the sentence, he had to scramble to catch the larger man as he stumbled. For the first time, the San Francisco police detective became aware of the exhaustion etched into every line of his face.

Carefully, Frank set Julian on the ground, his back resting against a tree trunk. "Are you all right? Maybe we should rest awhile."

As much as Julian hated to admit it, he had to agree with the human. He couldn't help Cash if he was too tired to track him. Giving in, he leaned his head back until it rested on the rough bark of the tree and then he closed his eyes.

"Good idea." Julian heard Frank settle down on the dry leaves beside him. Julian Luna was asleep before Frank could make himself comfortable.

Several thoughts and emotions washed over the young human. Here, as vulnerable as he's likely to ever see him was the person responsible for his girl friend's death. While Julian wasn't the one to slice her throat and throw her out into the sunlight so she could turn into a fireball, he hadn't stopped it either. Against the prince's protests, Frank had brought the phosphorous rifle that had been given to him in an effort to keep him safe. Now the urge to use the weapon on the vampire asleep beside him threatened to overwhelm Frank. Almost unconsciously, Frank brought he muzzle of the rifle around until it was pointed into Julian's side. Just as his finger tightened on the trigger, he came back to himself and pulled the muzzle up so it was targeted at the sky.

A branch snapped behind Frank. Startled, he jumped into a crouch and faced the noise. What stood before him was something out of a horror movie. Dressed completely in black, a favourite color among Kindred, with a bald head, elongated earlobes and fiery blue eyes stood a man with at least ten inches on Frank. So, he thought, curious despite himself, this must be a Nosferatu clam member.

Ignoring the human, now that he posed no threat to the prince, he knelt down on the other side of tree trunk to gently shake Julian's shoulder.

"Degolas?" Julian's eyes fluttered open to look at the man towering over him. He was still so very tired. It was all he could do to keep his eyes open, much less keep his brain functioning.

"We've found where they dumped Cash. He's since moved further into the hills," the Nosferatu premagin reported, pointedly ignoring the human.

"Show me where." Julian made an abortive attempt to reach his feet. Degolas laid his large hand on the prince's shoulder to steady him.

"Later. We need to rest. There is a cabin on the way that we can stay in." Carefully, Julian was helped to his feet. Degolas drew his arm across his shoulder and nearly carried his prince and friend. Frank trailed behind, feeling a little like an unwanted cousin, as they headed deeper into the trees.

OOOOO

Four hours after they began their journey, Chris and Cash stumbled through the door to Chris's apartment and sprawled across the floor. Rolling onto her back, Chris lay for several minutes, catching her breath and giving her back and hello legs a chance to recover.

"Are you all right?" Cash asked in a quiet voice from his position at her side. He'd been drifting in and out of consciousness during the entire trip.

"I'm fine," Chris gasped. "I just need a couple of moments. How are you?" She rolled onto her side so she could see his pale face better.

"Never felt better," Cash replied, a lop sided grin appearing briefly on his lips. Before the smile disappeared completely, he grimaced as his injuries reasserted themselves. His blue eyes closed. Chris waited impatiently for them to open again. They didin't.

"Damn it," Chris thought about checking Cash's pulse, an instinctive reaction, but she caught her hand. It was a waste of time. The best she could do was make him comfortable and wait to see if he came to again. How long she was going to wait was beyond her.

For the last time, at least she hoped, Chris bent down, picked the lifeless boy up and carried him into her bedroom. The chill coming off of him was enough to give her the willies. There was definitely something very odd about the boy. No heart beat, cold to the touch and the only time he breathed was when he spoke or moaned.

Once she laid Cash out on the bed, Chris untied the shirt pieces, threw them into the waste paper basket and turned her attention to his shirt and pants. The shirt came off with little trouble. While he was muscular, Cash had a slight build which made him easier to manipulate.

The pants proved to be another matter. The biggest problem was that Chris had no desire to see the young man naked and so was taking extra care to not pull down his blue boxer shorts with the jeans. She could feel the heat coming off her cheeks as she blushed deeply. After what seemed like an eternity, Chris got the jeans off, slipped his legs under the blankets and brought the material up under his chin. It wasn't likely to help but she thought it might keep him a little warmer.

Seated on the bed beside Cash, Chris paused to take a closer look at him. He was very handsome, although he also looked very young. She didn't much like his light brown goatee. It somehow made him appear younger still. He had spiky light brown hair that was clean cut down the sides and back. And then, of course, there were those bright blue eyes. If she was a few years younger she might have considered the possibilities. At thirty, she wasn't over the hill, she just felt that way most days. Absently, she touched the side of Cash's face.

Unknown to her, Chris had cut her finger, middle one of the right hand. It was bleeding freely. As she brought her hand across Cash's face, a drop fell and landed on his slightly parted lips. It took a moment to realize what the dark liquid had been. Just as she did, Cash took a deep breath. Chris waited for him to take another. He didn't.

At a particular corner of her unconscious mind, a connection was made. Fear gnawing at her, Chris placed the cut finger against the boy's lips so the blood would run into his mouth.

At first, Chris thought she was just being foolish and after a few minutes she was considering removing it. Cash took another deep breath and another. He reached up, caught hold of Chris's hand to bring her finger between his lips and began to suck on it.

Revulsion swept through her. If Chris believed in story books, she would have said that Cash was a vampire. It would explain so many things if only she'd open her mind. As it was, she sat with her finger in the boy's mouth and tried to not think about what was going on.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Time passed. How much Chris wasn't exactly sure. Be it minutes or hours, it really didn't matter. Cash had improved significantly. Colour had come to his face for the first time since she'd met him. Beyond all understanding, he'd also developed a heartbeat and respiratory rate. His swollen ankle had gone down in size and actually appeared to be healed. The wound on his shoulder and the tracks were still there but they had changed to a red color as opposed to the purple from before.

The strength returning to his limbs and body, Cash let go of Chris's arm. He lay perfectly still, except for the fall and rise of his chest, his eyes closed. The thought that he may die anyway passed through Chris's mind as she watched him.

"Where are we?" Cash asked, his eyes coming to rest on Chris's face.

"This is my apartment." Chris was feeling very tired. It had hit her out of the blue. Briefly she considered going out to lie on the couch but it would require too much effort. Instead, Chris brought her legs upon the bed, caught hold of the afghan at the foot of it, pulled it over top of her and relaxed. With Cash being under the covering and Chris on top of them, she didn't feel threatened.

"How do you feel?" Chris asked, her mind all ready drifting to the realms unknown.

"Better." His ankle had quit throbbing and his head had stopped swimming. Whatever the woman had done for him, it had helped immeasurably. He even felt warmer and it had nothing to do with the blankets. Tenderly, he moved his shoulder and side to test the waters. Pain flashed through Cash, causing him to stiffen for a moment.

Event thought it had surprised Cash, with everything else feeling so much better it had only been logical that it would have too, it wasn't as earth shattering as it had been before. Cash's side felt kind of like a pulled tooth. It hurt like hell at first but as time passed, the only time you felt it was when you worried at the hole.

"Are you sure?" Chris's voice was husky, she tried to stay awake long enough to hear the answer and barely made it.

"Yes." Cash stayed awake, listening to his companion's deep, even breathing until he too succumbed.

OOOOO

Frank was bored. Bored to death. Not a pretty thought given his present company. Luckily the two vampires were not joined by others of their kind. He was outnumbered as it was. He saw at a rough wooden table, staring distractedly out the only window in the cabin. It looked like it had just stepped out of a Daniel Boone movie with its log walls, dirt floor, fire place and a few scattered dead animal furs. All it was missing was the tall man clad in buckskin, coon skin hat and a musket cradled in the crook of his arm.

As it was, the only inhabitants thus far were himself and the two sleeping vampires. They'd been asleep for the last four hours Julian hadn't moved a muscle since the imposing one helped him onto the wooden cot. He'd then positioned himself on a rather uncomfortable chair beside the bed, leaned it back against the wall. Even though for all intents and purposes, the Nosferatu appeared to be sound asleep. Every time Frank stood up to stretch his legs, which was becoming more and more frequent, he swore he could feel those penetrating blue eyes following his every move.

When he thought about it, Frank really didn't blame him. After what Degolas had undoubtedly witnessed back by the tree. That coupled with his apparent obsession in proving Julian Luna a crook, didn't much improve his standings. His stomach growled loudly and not for the first time. Frank wished that his two companions would wake up so they could go looking for something to eat. A shiver passed down his spine. Looking for food with a vampire somehow wasn't quite as appealing when he considered what they'd want to eat.

Standing up, Frank crossed the room, opened the cabin door and stepped outside. The air was fresh. He took a deep breath and relished the sensation. Living in San Francisco, he never noticed just how the scents were neutralized in the city. Out here, in the hills, civilization miles behind him, Frank was suddenly made aware of the scent of pine trees, grass and wild flowers he couldn't identify. A kink in his back made itself known. Carefully, Frank stretched it out.

"Where are you going?" The voice was deep and menacing, causing the detective to jump. He hadn't heard the man come up behind him.

"I'm getting a little hungry," Frank replied once he'd recovered from the shock.

"Here." Degolas thrust a package into his hands, turned and went back into the cabin and his chair.

Frank wasn't so sure he wanted to know what was inside the package. Shaking it didn't tell him much. It thumped as he'd expected. Cautiously, just in case it was booby trapped, he opened the box. Inside was a package of beef jerky, cheese and crackers, peanut butter cups and an apple. Well, he guessed, they hadn't always been vampires and apparently Degolas plans ahead better than he did.

Opening the beef jerky, Frank sank his teeth into it, tasting the pepper and spices along the side of his tongue, and pulled. He sat there on the porch step, a witness to the wildlife's passing as he chewed and waited.

OOOOO

An arm fell across the side of Chris's head. In the startled awake panic that clouded her mind, Chris jumped up out of the bed and backed toward the wall. All the while, she tried frantically to recall who this person was and what he was doing in her bed.

Slowly, in flashes of memory, it all came back to her. Heaving a sigh of relief, Chris went around to the other side of the bed to check on him. The young man was about the same as before, which she was thankful for, she hadn't planned to fall asleep. He was sleeping soundly and barely stirred when Chris rolled him over to get a better look at his shoulder.

Leaving Cash resting on his stomach, Chris went into first the laundry room to get a basin and into the bathroom to fill it up. The shoulder wound looked much better. The tracks were smaller in size and had lost some of their angry red tinge. It did, however, need to be cleaned. Between where ever the boy had been before she'd found him and the cave followed by the trip to her apartment, it had picked up a couple of layers of dirt and sweat. The basin full of war, soapy water, Chris set it aside, ran some more water and splashed it on her face.

More refreshed and awake, Chris selected the supplied she needed and carried it all to the bedroom. Setting some of it on the foot of the bed, Chris used the free hand to drag her wooden chair over beside the bed so she could put the basin on it. Cash slept blissfully as she soaked a face cloth in the water, wrung it out and gently rubbed the rough material on the center of the wound. It came away blood stained and dirty. The water turned a light pink colour, kind of like really weak fruit punch Kool-aid.

Cash stirred lightly under her ministrations and even moaned quietly but he didn't wake up. For better or worse, Chris wasn't sure. She secured the gauze bandage she'd placed over the now clean and disinfected wound with strips of tape. That done she packed up her supplied and hauled them back into the bathroom. Just as she placed the bandage and tape into the second drawer from the top, a loud rumbling sound erupted from her stomach. It was then that Chris realized she couldn't remember how long it had been since she'd last eaten. At least, twelve hours had passed, probably more because she had no idea how long she'd slept. Well, she'd done all she could for her young charge. Now it was time to take care of herself.

OOOOO

Fed and showered, Chris felt more like herself again. According to the news channel on the TV, she'd slept for twelve hours. Not terribly surprising considering the fact that she carried Cash for three hours the day before. The big problem now was that she had to be at work at four o'clock that evening. What was she going to do with her friend?

The bedroom was dark even though it was early afternoon. Sometime during her wanderings, Chris had pulled the Venetians down and turned the rod to close them so no sunlight could get through. She didn't want Cash burning up. Somehow during her shower she'd come to the conclusion that Cash was, in fact, a vampire. Chris tried not to think about it if she could get away with it, which wasn't very often.

Turning off the TV, Chris tread across the carpet to the bedroom. She had to switch on the lamp beside the bed in order to see Cash's sleeping form properly. As far as she could tell, he had been asleep the entire time she had been. Either he was very tired or he was sick. Chris hoped it was the later. She had no idea how to remedy a sick vampire, except possibly garlic. Ha ha. Bad joke. Oh, well, it was better than taking herself or the situation too seriously.

Cash had stopped breathing. Before she could stop it, Chris's stomach plummeted down to somewhere around her ankles. It was a natural reaction she supposed. One she was going to have to get over. The lumps that were located where Cash's feet should be moved. At least that was a good sign. Apparently he needed more blood. He'd breathed and his heart had beat after he'd had some. Chris, however, was all tapped out. That was why she'd been so tired last night, that and the unaccustomed exercise.

A solution occurred to her. One a pad of paper, Chris wrote a quick note and placed it on the pillow Cash was not currently using. She caught her coat on the way out the front door and only paused long enough to lock the dead bolt. Chris personally hated the things but as they say 'when in Rome'.

OOOOO

"What do you mean, you lost him?" Of all the Kindred, Nosferatu especially, Degolas was the best tracker. If he'd lost the Gangrel Premagin's trail there was little hope left.

"I'm sorry, my Prince." Degolas was genuinely distressed for two reasons. One, he liked Cash and greatly mourned his disappearance. Two, he hated to admit that he couldn't, at the present time, find the Gangrel.

They were standing at the edge of a cul de sac still within the wooded area. Most humans had an adverse reaction to seeing the Nosferatu Premagin so they remained within the ever lengthening shadows.

A wave of helplessness washed over Julian. He ran his hand over his face, suddenly feeling every one of his hundred and sixty three years.

"I'll go back to the office. Maybe whoever found him has reported it," Frank suggested. Degolas had informed them at the bottom of a gully some distance back that Cash had been found and was being carried. He supposed the Kindred figured that out by the depth of the foot prints and the two different shoe sizes. The image of Daniel Boone skidded through Frank's mind's eye.

"Thank you, Frank." The Gangrel clan would be scouring the streets of the city. He would have to place his faith in their knowledge and their ability to find a needle in a hay stack as Frank had said earlier.

A black car pulled up at the top of the cul de sac. The headlights flashed once, twice.

"That would be Archon," Degolas stated, leading the way through the underbrush. The house the car was parked in front of was in the early stages of being built, this being a new subdivision. Around the cul de sac, only one of the houses appeared to be lived in and its lights were all off. There was always a chance that someone would see them but the odds were greatly reduced.

As Degolas had said, the driver of the vehicle was in face Julian's sire. Climbing into the back seat, behind the dark tinted windows, Julian and Degolas settled themselves while Frank stood beside the car, unsure of what he should do. The thought of sitting with three vampires did not much appeal to him. He still didn't trust them and probably never would.

"Get in," the older man behind the wheel instructed. "I'll drop you off at your car."

Briefly, the police detective considered back tracking through the hills to the dirt road his car was sitting on. Nah, he'd wind up being listed among the missing and few people would come searching for him.

"All right." Swallowing his pride, Frank opened the front passenger door and slipped into the richly upholstered seat. The car pulled away from the curb and headed out to the main street.

OOOOO

Chris returned to her apartment, a grocery bag held in one hand. She fumbled momentarily with the keys to unlock the deadbolt and then she was inside and gratefully dropped the bag on the floor. The door closed and locked, Chris headed into the bedroom to check on the young man.

Cash was sound asleep. His hand was cold and clammy under her touch. There was still no pulse. Chris went back to the grocery bag and retrieved a cellophane package of steaks. She'd cook her own well done. She hated to be reminded where the meat came from. Cash's would be very rare. The hope was that the blood in the meat would suffice. Chris couldn't give him any more of her own. She felt weak as it was.

The rare steak was cooked in a matter of minutes. While Chris's continued to sizzle in the pan, she placed the meat on a plate and carried it and some cutlery into the bedroom. The chair came in handy again as she set the food down on it so she could shake Cash's shoulder in an attempt to wake him.

At first Chris thought the whole process had been a wasted effort. Cash didn't react at all. Then, on the fourth attempt, he moaned quietly and tried to pull away from her.

"Cash, wake up." Chris rolled the boy over onto his back.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked somewhat befuddled, coming around with a start.

"It's time to eat," Chris replied.

"I'm not hungry," Cash mumbled and rolled over onto his stomach again.

"I don't care. You're going to eat." It was like dealing with a little kid and Chris was quickly losing her patience. She had to be at work in two hours and wanted to make sure her young charge would survive her absence.

"All right, all right. Against his body's protests, Cash rolled onto his back and forced himself up into a seated position. Chris straightened the blankets out before placing the plate of food on his lap. His stomach heaved at the sight and smell but he decided to try it anyway, just to keep her happy. "Aren't you going to have any?"

"Mine's still cooking. I'll be right back." Chris left the room long enough to flip her steak over in the skillet, rather than let it burn to charcoal. When she came back into the room, she found that Cash had eaten half of his supper and was eagerly working on the remaining portion.

"So, you were hungry after all," Chris said, amused.

"Yeah, I guess so," Cash replied around a mouthful of rare beef. He was looking better, despite a decided list to the left side.

"I'm going to have to leave you here alone for a while. I work at six o'clock. The number's beside the phone if you need me, okay?"

"Thank you." Cash was quickly becoming aware of just how much the woman had done for him. If it hadn't been for her and her dogged insistence in taking care of him, he would no longer dwell in this realm. "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome." A crooked little smile played on her lips and her cheeks turned red as she blushed with pleasure. For the first time Cash noticed how pretty Chris was and he smiled.

OOOOO

The food gone, Chris cleared away the plates. She'd brought her own meal into the bedroom to eat it and carried them into the kitchen. She nearly dropped them, however, when she became aware of a presence behind her.

Turning, she found Cash standing in the doorway. He seemed to be a bit wobbly but at least he was up, a good sign. "Sorry," Cash apologized. He had seen the fear flash across Chris's face.

"It's okay, you startled me is all." Chris scrapped the plates and then set them in the sink. Turning on the taps, she started warm water running over them and added dish soup from beneath the sink. Suds bubbled up as the dishes vanished beneath the rising waters.

Cash continued to stand in the doorway, a comforter wrapped around him, and watched. None of this appeared familiar to him, the cooking of meals and the washing of dishes was almost foreign in nature. He supposed that he could blame it on his memory lapse but it seemed to go much deeper than that.

"I have to go. Make yourself at home. If you want to take a shower, go ahead. I washed your clothes they're sitting on the bureau." Chris slipped by him on her way to the door, careful to not touch him. "Help yourself to anything you can find."

Cash stood in the archway for several minutes, staring at the closed door after she'd left. Shrugging his good shoulder, he headed for the bathroom.

OOOOO

It was late, just past midnight, but the search was going strong. Gangrel clans people had spread throughout the city, leaving no stone unturned. Their Premagin was out on the streets, not alone, for which they were thankful, but still injured. The hunt was also on for the Brujah scum who had put him there.

Julian had spent the day sleeping and had been awake for half an hour before he too was on the streets. He had no predetermined search pattern. The Prince was simply allowing his instincts take over. It resulted in a great deal of aimless wandering. As he tried to retain the link he'd nurtured with the Gangrel Premagin. He was on foot to prevent accidently passing by any leads.

Currently, Julian found himself on a empty street. A cemetery was on his right, a row of dark houses on the left. Even the street lights were out. It was an incongruous scene for the middle of San Francisco and set his nerves on edge. The night was warm, the sky clear after the afternoon storm. The ground was damp. Most of the moisture had been absorbed.

Off to Julian's right, beyond the chain link fence and silent headstones, he heard footsteps. There was no rhythm to their sound, as if the person was hesitated as they moved alone. Humans would not be in the grave yard at night, especially in the darkness that surrounded the grounds. Perhaps it was Kindred. But he didn't think so. He felt no connection at all.

The footsteps stopped. Julian's best guess was that the person was about fifty yards away. A hushed voice floated toward the Prince on the gentle breeze. It was so low that he had no way to tell the speaker's gender. However, it was apparent that the person was talking to his or herself.

Curiosity got the best of him. Julian easily scaled the fence. He was not at all familiar with this area of the city and had no desire whatever to find the cemetery entrance. So intent was he on following the voice that he neglected to watch where he was walking. A low lying headstone caught his foot as Julian stepped forward, sending him sprawling into two larger ones.

"Who's there?" a female voice demanded form just ahead of him.

Julian struggled up into a crouch between the headstones. He had no idea how to answer the woman's query and so decided to stay silent.

"Come on," the woman said, her voice low again. She was obviously speaking to someone else.

A split personality perhaps? Julian thought to himself. Movement in the shadows, dead ahead. No pun intended.

There were two shapes in the shadows, a smaller, stockier one and a tall, lean one. The smaller one was helping the other, which was leaning heavily. Incoherent murmurs drifted back to the Ventrue Premagin as the duo struggled away from him.

"Do you need any help?" Julian asked, standing up and taking a couple of steps toward them.

"Who are you?" the woman demanded. She was the smaller of the two shadows and had turned to face Julian, a darker shadow in her free hand. It was shaped like a hand gun. Whether it was phosphorous or not was not readily apparent.

"A friend," was all Julian could think to say.

"I have no friends that sneak up on me in the dark." They were backing up now.

Julian took four more steps forward and nearly fell head first into a deep hole. The impression that it was a dug up grave was strong. The Prince turned his attention to the second person. Vaguely, as if through a fog, he felt the contact. The man was Kindred, newly embraced.

"Wait. I can help." Julian skirted the hole to cover the distance between them.

"So you've said," the woman stated, trying to maintain their distance. The woman was definitely human and that confused the Kindred Prince. Humans usually run from newly embraced members, he'd never seen one protect a newling like this. The embraced man was only vaguely aware of what was going on around him.

"I know what he is." That stopped the woman in her tracks.

"What do you mean?" Julian could hear the suspicion in her voice. She shifted the man leaning on her. He'd begun to slip.

"The man, he is Kindred. One of us."

"What do you intend to do with him?" the woman demanded.

"Take him among his own kind."

"What if he doesn't want to go?" the woman persisted.

"Why are you arguing with me? I can keep him safe." In the back of his mind, Julian was becoming aware of other Kindred, unfamiliar minds, coming through the grave yard. There were six or seven distinct impressions.

"So can I," the woman hissed.

A wall ran over the Prince. At least that's how it felt to the man as he was bowled over. He was sent sprawling against a tombstone.

"Leave them alone," a boy hissed two feet in front of Julian's face. He was Kindred but of no clan he could readily recognize.

"Come on. Help me get him out of here," the woman ordered. The boy moved away from Julian and then the newly embraced man was being carried away.

"He's one of us," a deep, gravelly voice stated. A hood was pulled over Julian's and his hands were quickly bound.

"Where are you taking me?" Julian demanded, struggling against the hands that were helping him to his feet.

"You wanted to help our friend. Well, now's your chance," the woman said. The hands were stronger than Julian. The Prince had to give up and allow his captors to lead him away.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I have to come clean. I've borrowed a couple more characters in this chapter. Obviously Aaron Hotchner and Spencer Reid are from Criminal Minds. Also, I've borrowed Mickey from The Equalizer. Although I haven't named him yet, the older blond guy is actually loosely based on Dean Winchester from Supernatural. Don't worry I will be dragging Sam in here too but as a loosely based character as well. As always, these characters belong to their creators, the companies that fund them and the actors that play them._

_I know, I know. I always seemed to get carried away. I'm my own worst enemy! If it's too busy or just bad, PLEASE let me know. I wrote this story many years ago and am a little unsure of its quality._

_Anyway, to all of you who have taken the time to review, Thank you from the bottom of my heart!! I also appreciate all of you who have added this story to your alerts. It helps to know that someone is waiting to keep me interested._

_Thanks._

_Susanne_

CHAPTER SIX

Julian's captors went to great efforts to backtrack and do everything they could think of to make sure the Ventrue Premagin lost all sense of direction. After what seemed like an eternity, they stopped moving and the hood was pulled off Julian's head. He had to blink in the blinding light until his eyes could adjust.

The room Julian was in was well lived in. Furniture took up most of the space. It was obvious that all of the people he saw, all eight of them, lived here. The second thing that was obvious was that the building they currently inhabited was abandoned. The windows that he could see were boarded up. The glass had long ago been shattered.

Julian Luna turned his now clear eyes to the person nearest to him. He was shocked to find that it was little more than a boy. A quick glance around the room at the other kidnappers revealed a fairly common theme. The vast majority of them were young men. Including the man from the cemetery, three of them appeared to have passed their twenty fifth birthdays. The rest had not. There also was only one woman among them.

She was currently ministering to the newly embraced Kindred who was spread out on the couch along the far wall. He was pale, as expected, with short blond hair. His blue eyes were wide and dazed and his lined face made Julian estimate his age at about thirty five. Being embraced, especially against one's will is very hard on a person, creating lines or deepening existing ones temporarily until the person could recover.

"What's your name?" the woman asked her charge, her hand resting gently on his forehead.

"Tom," the man replied weakly, pausing to lick his dry lips. "Tom James."

"Well, Tom James, despite the circumstances, we're glad to meet you. You're safe now, please rest," the woman said, pulling a quilt up and over him.

"I was dead," Tom stated simply, his voice devoid of all emotion. But when the woman looked deep into those blue eyes, she found the underlying terror.

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry," the woman replied. Tom's eyes fluttered and then slammed shut as he fell into a deep sleep.

"Now," the eldest man said, turning his attention to the Prince. The man had dark brown hair. Dark brown eyes stared out from a slightly tanned, lightly lined face. He stood about six feet tall, a few inches over the Prince, with a well muscled, medium build. All of the men in the room were handsome and Kindred but of a clan Julian could not identify. "What do we have here?"

"My name is Julian Luna, Prince of the Kindred clans. Who may I ask are you?"

"Aaron Hotchner. I'll introduce you to my friends later. I have just one question for you," the dark haired man said, taking a couple of steps toward Julian. "What are Kindred?"

"You don't know?" Julian couldn't keep the shock out of his voice and off his face.

"Should we?" the boy to Julian's right asked. He looked to be maybe sixteen years old with close cropped brown hair, blue eyes and a black baseball cap.

"You are Kindred, you've been embraced," Julian stated.

"What are you talking about?" the woman demanded. Despite the anger in her voice, Julian also sensed a degree of anxiety.

"You," Julian said indicating the woman. "Are still human. The rest of us in this room are not."

"We're vampires," a blond haired man said from across the room. The tone in his voice indicated he found the entire discussion to be boring.

"That is what humans call us," Julian agreed.

"You make it sound like there're a lot of us around," Hotchner stated.

"There are." Julian was a little uncomfortable discussing these things in front of the woman but the others appeared very comfortable with her. "Your sire should have explained all of this to you. He should have taken you to your clansmen."

"Sire? What are you talking about?" several voices asked at the same time.

"Your sire is the one who embraced you. Why do you not know any of this?" Julian was beginning to lose his patience.

"Because, I found each and every one of these men dazed and completely confused lying in that grave yard you found us in. They know their names and nothing else. They don't have a heart beat or breathe but they are still wandering around," the woman said crossing the distance between them. Blood rushed to her cheeks, her hands balled into fists as she relieved the memories. "They don't know who or what made them and neither do I."

"You are to be commended. Most of the humans I have met would have killed them or called the authorities. I assume you did neither of these things." It was more of a statement than a question. Frantically Julian tried to think of who among the Kindred would be capable of such atrocities. Not even the Brujah would embrace people against their will, as these men had evidently been forced. The only possibilities that presented themselves were a few of the more radical Nosferatu.

"I must admit that the first time it shocked me so badly that I had a momentary lapse. I learned quickly." The woman cast a guilty look at the young man on Julian's right. Out of the corner of his eye, the Prince saw the young man shudder against his best efforts to suppress the motion.

"How many Kindred are there?" a tall, lanky young man sitting in an easy chair asked. He had an innocence about him that was slightly disarming, with a hard edge that gave the Prince pause. He didn't want to back the man into a corner.

"Thousands," Julian hedged.

"Do they all attach men?" the woman demanded. The Ventrue Premagin understood her anger and the anger of the men surrounding him. Otherwise he wouldn't put up with the interrogation he was currently allowing.

"No. We do not embrace people against their will," Julian replied.

"Well, someone does," the woman growled.

"What is your name?" If Julian was going to defend his species to this human, he at least wanted to know who he was arguing with.

"Sandra Philips." The wind had gone out of her sails as she released the righteous anger she had been holding so tightly to herself. A weary hand passed over her brown eyes and she wank into a nearby chair. "Please, everyone, sit down. I'll hurt my neck staring up at you."

There was a minimum of shuffling as the others took their seats. Tension was beginning to build up between the Prince's shoulder blades. His friend was still missing and by now the clans woulc be scouring the city looking for him too. But, he also had a responsibility to these men and chose to stay to resolve as much as he could.

"Do you know who has been doing this?" Sandra asked. The Kindred seemed content to leave the questions to the human.

"No. I was not aware of any Kindred forcefully embracing anyone. It threatens the masquerade and therefore cannot be allowed. Any Kindred who threatens or breaks the masquerade is destroyed."

"How could he do this without your knowledge?" the kid with the baseball cap asked.

Julian's reply was pre-empted by a muffled shout from the couch. Low mumbles followed. Tom James was having a nightmare and a real doozy from the way he was thrashing around under his quilt. Hotchner stood up from his chair and went to him.

"Don't worry. It happens all the time," Sandra stated. Despite the tone of her voice, her concern was evident in the way she looked at the man.

"To answer your question, even though I'm the Prince, sometimes I'm not always made aware."

"This is all fine and good," the blond young man stated, anger in his tone and actions. "But it's too little, too late. We've all ready been 'embraced' as you call it. So where do we go from here?"

"You should each be inducted into one of the current clans. I can't decide just from looking at you where you belong so we'll have to figure that out." Before Julian had a chance to continue, the dark haired, lanky boy spoke up.

"What about the guy who did this to us?"

"Spencer, practice a little patience, would you? I'm sure he was going to get to that eventually, the woman admonished. The boy glared at her for a moment and then slumped farther into his chair. It was the first time Julian noticed the boy's bearing. Glancing around the room he was somewhat startled to find that Hotchner had a similar bearing. They were military or government but due to lack of knowledge in the area, he couldn't pin point the which.

"My people are all ready scouring the city looking for a missing member. If your sire is out there, he'll be found." Julian's voice sounded surer than he felt. The Kindred had avoided detection so far. There was no reason not to suspect that he would not continue to do so.

"What makes you think that we want to become 'your people'? We've done okay so far on our own," an older, blond haired boy asked. Julian guessed his age to be about twenty four. There was a hard edge about him that gave him pause as well.

"Until the humans find out," Julian stated.

"The humans have all ready found out," Aaron said, indicating Sandra.

"According to Kindred law, her knowledge of us can end one of two ways. She can be embraced." Loud voices responded, none of them friendly and all of them male.

"Or," Julian had to shout to be heard over the uproar. "She has to be killed."

"Neither of those options is acceptable," Sandra informed him, the men voicing their agreement.

"It is the law, we have to protect the masquerade," Julian insisted.

"You can screw your masquerade," the older blond boy exclaimed, jumping to his feet and advancing on the Prince before an older man and the kid with the baseball cap could stop him.

"You can keep your clans, Julian Luna," Aaron said, stepping between the Prince and Sandra, who for her part seemed unconcerned by the threat to her life. "We may have our problems but we would rather deal with them ourselves than rely on you and your laws."

"They are laws that have existed for centuries and with good reason. The only other option open to Kindred is to hypnotize her and make her forget everything she has experienced in connection with us. Sometimes it's successful. Sometimes it's not and the human still has to be killed." Apparently Julian had made a bad impression so far and was trying, rather unsuccessfully, to remedy the situation.

"I'd forget about Aaron and the others?" the woman asked, looking to Julian for confirmation. He nodded, yes. "Sorry. I refuse to do that."

Sandra stood up and went over to check on Tom, who was becoming restless the longer the tension in the room escalated. The older blond man left the room through a door that hadn't been obvious before. The other men had gained their feet and stood, menacingly, between the Prince and Sandra. Just in case he got any ideas.

"You won't have a choice," Julian stated, consciously keeping his attitude and movements as unthreatening as possible.

"Want to make a bet?" the boy in the baseball cap growled as he was being held back as well.

"I think it's time for our guest to leave. He's too disruptive a force to have around," Sandra said from the couch. Her hand was resting on Tom's forehead. "Aaron, Mickey, could you please escort him out of our territory?"

"Sure. We'll drop by the cemetery on our way," Mickey replied. He was a stocky man, about five foot, ten inches with collar length brown hair, a deep, gravelly voice and small hazel eyes.

The first impression Julian got was that the man was face, being one of the three oldest in the group, falling behind Hotchner by a few years. Closer examination, however, revealed strength and muscle. Mickey was another of the group not to be underestimated.

"Do you think he would have struck so soon?" Julian asked. He hoped they were just being paranoid.

"No, not really. It never hurts to be thorough, though," Aaron stated as he pulled a fabric hood over the Prince's head while Mickey bound his hands behind his back. "No peeking."


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Do you really think he meant what he said?" Reid asked. He was crouched down beside Sandra as she held a bottle of blood up to Tom's lips so he could drink.

"He probably does," Sandra answered, her eyes trained on her patient. Tom was only semiconscious. It was just as well. The first time they drank the blood they tended to get upset. She was just as happy to avoid that today.

"What are we going to do about it?" The boy could be a little too persistent at times. He didn't' know when to let up.

"Be more careful."

"Is that all?" Dean demanded, absently running his hand through his close-cut hair.

"What more would you suggest? If he is telling the truth there're thousands of them and only a few of us. So we be more careful, keep watch to make sure Mr. Luna can't find his way back here and watch the cemetery.

"Maybe we can catch the son of a bitch who's doing this. But my main concern is finding the rest of his victims. Believe me, there will be more," Sandra stated.

A quarter of the bottle was empty. Sandra pulled it away from Tom's lips and handed it over to Spencer. "You'd better drink your fill. I have the feeling we're all going to need our strength," she said.

"No, that's okay," the dark haired boy said, a troubled expression in his light brown eyes as he pushed the bottle away. "You know that stuff makes me queasy."

"I don't care. Drink some anyway." They'd had this discussion several times before. It was wearing a little thin around the edges for Sandra. She thrust the bottle into Spencer's hands and waited.

He wasn't really a boy, being twenty four years old, but he was younger than Sandra and so she thought of him as a boy. Same as the others that were younger than her.

Reluctantly, Spencer placed the bottle to his lips, after wiping the mouth clean with his hand, and raised it so the contents filled his mouth. With a great effort he swallowed the metallic tasting liquid and tried to hand the bottle off to Dean. It was intercepted and thrust back at him.

"More," Sandra said simply. At the rate he was going, Spencer was intent on killing himself. He didn't drink enough to keep a vampire bat alive. "And don't 'must I'."

The second mouthful proved to be too much. Almost as soon as Spencer got it down, the contents of his stomach came boiling up and he retched at the end of the couch. The rough, wooden floor soaked up the fluid hungrily.

"Sorry," Spencer managed. Backing away from his mess, he wiped his mouth on a shaky shirt sleeve.

"Oh, Spence," Sandra said, pulling the trembling boy into a fierce embrace. "What am I going to do with you?"

This was the second day Spencer had gone without blood. Despite his bravado in front of their visitor, he was getting weaker with each passing hour. Sandra had no idea how to help him and none of the others had come up with viable suggestions. Maybe she'd dismissed Mr. Luna too easily.

"I'm okay." Spencer pulled away from Sandra. He hated to show weakness, even in front of her.

"Why don't you go lie down," Sandra suggested.

"I'm fine," Spencer hissed, losing his temper. "When are you going to stop treating me like a kid?"

"When you stop acting like one?" Dean volunteered from the peanut gallery.

"I don't mean to," Sandra stated, throwing a glare at the blond man before turning her attention back to her current concern. "I'm worried about you is all."

"Thanks," Spencer said rather sheepishly. With minor difficulty, he gained his feet and headed for his bed. His stomach heaved with every step.

"Who's going to clean that up?" Dean indicated the spot on the floor with disgust.

"You are," Sandra replied, grinning evilly. "And thank you for volunteering."

Dean thought about arguing the call but decided against it. It was easier to just do it. Sandra could argue a blue streak around him when the mood struck her. All indications were she was in the mood. Pausing to take a swig of the abandoned bottle, Dean set out in search of supplies.

The others had scattered, taking care of their assigned chores which now included keeping watch. Sandra was in the room alone with the new recruit. She guessed recruit wasn't quite the right word. It was more like draftee. It was an odd feeling in this house. One was never alone, in complete silence for any period of time.

Sighing, Sandra enjoyed it while it lasted.

OOOOO

It was nearly quitting time. Chris never thought she'd be so thankful to see the end of her shift. She enjoyed her job. Tonight, however, there were more important things at home.

For the fourth time in the last ten minutes, Chris checked the clock. Sandra was late. Well, she wasn't technically late. She still had fifteen minutes before her shift started but for her, she was late. The alleys on either side of her thundered as people threw their balls, trying to knock all ten pins down at one time. If Chris wasn't used to it, she would have found the noise deafening. As it was, she noticed it just as a background murmur.

"Hi," Sandra said, slipping behind the counter. She ditched her duffle bag on one of the shelves below the counter. "How's it been tonight?"

"Busy. How was your day?" Chris replied, collecting her stuff.

"Same old, same old. Anything new in your world?" Sandra asked as she scanned the alleys.

It was an innocent question. Sandra couldn't possibly know about what's been going on in her life. Briefly she considered what and how much to tell her.

"Well, I went for a walk yesterday..."Chris started.

"Alone?" Sandra demanded. She had told that woman time and again not to go alone. There were crazies living out in the hills.

"Yes, alone. I don't want anyone with me. It defeats the purpose of going," Chris retorted, her back rising.

"Okay, okay, truce. Tell me the rest," Sandra said.

"I found a boy out there, in the hills." Chris blushed, feeling embarrassed despite her best efforts. "There's something strange about him, though."

Sandra had a sneaky suspicion she all ready knew what that might be. "Let me guess. He has no heartbeat." Sandra said it in a joking kind of way. Just in case she was wrong. Then she could slough it off.

Looking at Chris confirmed her suspicions. The other woman's face had gone a deathly shade of white and she was staring at the slightly older woman like she'd grown a second head.

"How did you know?" Chris asked, shocked.

"It seems to be going around," Sandra replied.

Customers came up to the counter wanted to pay for their games. Sandra rang the number into the till, giving her co-worker time to recover. She thanked the people for coming, after they paid their money and returned their rental shoes.

"Are there more of them?" Chris asked, her mind racing a mile a minute, trying to process the incoming information.

"More than you'd imagine. How old is this guy?" The thought that her 'friend', she used the term loosely, had found a new dumping ground had come stampeding to the forefront of her mind.

"Maybe twenty four," Chris stated.

"Does he remember anything?" So far it fit.

"No. He fell down into a gulley and smashed his head," Chris told her.

"Can you stay a while? We need to talk," Sandra suggested. Chris nodded her head in agreement.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hi. I'm not sure if anyone is still reading this but I'm really sorry that it's taken me so long to update. I'm usually much better at it that this. If you are still reading, enjoy the chapter and PLEASE review. _

_Thanks,_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Cash, wake up." He'd been in a deep, untroubled sleep and was less than thrilled by the interruption.

"Chris?" Cash asked fighting through the last thin layers of sleep to full wakefulness.

"There's someone here I'd like you to meet," Chris said stepping back from the bed so Cash could sit up and swing his legs over the side.

Instantly, the young Gangrel was nervous. He trusted the woman who'd rescued him but wasn't so sure about the rest of the world.

"Who is it?" Cash asked as he pulled his pants on. The sorrow he found in her dark eyes stopped him cold. "What's wrong?"

"You're going with her," Chris stated simply.

"Why?" Cash inquired.

"I trust her. I work with her at the alleys. Last night we started talking and realized that there are more people like you around. Sandra stays with eight of them in a house and thinks it's a good idea for you to stay with them. For your own protection," Chris said.

"My own protection?" Cash parroted. "Protection from whom?"

He supposed it made sense that there were more people like himself around but the rest of it didn't.

"From the Prince and his friends," a new woman said from the door. "I'm also trying to keep Chris as safe as I can. According to this guy, any humans who know about your kind have to either be turned into one of you or killed. The less they know about her the better."

She was not a small woman, although not as big as Chris. She stood a couple of inches taller and had shorter brown hair. Her eyes burned with a determination Cash found daunting.

"You're human. Why aren't you worried?" Chris was moving around the room, packing shirts for him and some other things she figured he might need. It broke her heart to lose Cash but she knew he would be well cared for and she could probably come visit him when she felt the need.

"Julian all ready knows about me. He doesn't know about Chris and I'd like to keep it that way," the woman replied.

OOOOO

"Sandra, are you ready yet?" a male voice called out from the living room.

"Hold your horses, Aaron," the woman called back, irritation passing over her face.

"I'm sorry," Sandra said to Cash. "We're under a bit of a deadline here. We only have forty-five minutes."

"What happens then?" Cash asked, accepting a shirt Chris had thrust into his hands on her way by.

"Aaron fries," Sandra stated simply.

"Here, drink this." Sandra threw a thermos at him. Cash nearly dropped it after a moment of shocked inactivity. Hesitantly, he unscrewed the plug and sniffed at the contents. A metallic scent emanated from it.

"It's blood. Drink it," an older man ordered as he came up behind Sandra at the door. Cash recognized him as a kindred spirit immediately.

"I'm not a vampire," Cash growled.

"Yes you are. If you don't drink that, you're going to fry when we go outside," Aaron replied.

"Please, Cash. Do as they say," Chris pleaded. "They have more experience at this than we do."

"I don't trust them," Cash said.

"I do," Chris stated. Cash paused, staring at his friend, looking for reassurance. He found it in her eyes.

"Okay, okay," he said, feeling a little queasy as he took a swig from the bottle. It tasted surprisingly good as he took another mouthful. Before Cash was aware of it, the thermos was empty. He dropped it to the carpet in shock.

"Done like a true vampire," Aaron said his voice only half joking. "It's time to go."

OOOOO

"Spencer, it's time to get up." He was awake instantly, surveying the dark room for the cause. Sandra stood just inside the door, a plate in her hand. A while back she'd learned the hard way to keep her distance when waking the young man. He nearly broke her neck before her identity could register. Apparently Spencer had thought she was the man who embraced him.

"Hi," was all he could think to say.

"Here." Sandra waited for him to sit up in the bed. Then she handed him the plate. "See if you can get this down and keep it down."

The idea had come from her conversation with Chris. Sandra was hoping it would help get Spencer's strength back.

"What is it?" Spencer asked even as the aroma hit him.

"Steak. Eat it. I'll see you downstairs." Sandra waited long enough to see the young man cut a chunk off the steak and stick it in his mouth. Satisfied, she turned and left the room.

"How's he doing?" Aaron asked on the other side of the door.

"Not sure yet," Sandra replied, headed for the stairs. "Have you checked the cemetery lately?"

"Dean and Bob are out there, keeping an eye out," Aaron stated.

"That ought to be entertaining." In her mind's ear, Sandra could hear the bickering and complaining going on between the two. They were not the most compatible duo she knew but she also knew they'd get the job done.

"Tom has been looking for you," Aaron stated as he accompanied the young woman down the stairs.

"Okay. I was just going to go check on him." Sandra paused and placed her hand on the older man's chest. "Make sure someone relieves the dynamic duo before they get too much sun."

"Mickey and Jack are getting ready as we speak," Aaron assured her. He was amused by Sandra's concern. There were several times in the past weeks when she'd wanted to strangle both men.

Dean angered Sandra because of his general lack of respect for any form of authority and his lax attitude toward work. With Bob it was just the opposite. He was very by the book, having been a Ranger in his previous life. He also refused to let go of any responsibility handed to him. He was like a bulldog with a bone in his mouth with someone trying to take it away from him.

"Thank you." Sandra turned and entered the living room. Jack sat in the nearest chair, contentedly sipping on a bottle. If an outsider were to walk in here, Sandra thought to herself as she padded across the thread bare living room carpet, they'd think this was a wino hang out. All the empty bottles lying around, men sitting around taking swigs and looking stoned only solidified the assumption.

Bottles clanged behind Sandra, causing her to jump. Aaron must have seen the expression on her face. He had a plastic trash can in one hand and was putting the empties in it carefully with the other hand. The bottles were washed, sterilized and reused. Smiling gratefully, Sandra went over to the couch where Tom still lay.

Tom's eyes fluttered open when he felt her presence and came to rest on Sandra's round face.

"Hi," she said, her knees popping loudly when she knelt down beside the couch. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Tom replied as he sat up. The last several months of his life, Tom James had led a very paranoid existence. Some of that had carried over into his new life, whether he remembered his past life or not. "Where am I?"

"A safe place," Sandra replied. It was the standard answer she gave the first time that particular question arose.

"That's not very precise," Tom said.

"Safe places are hard to find," Sandra stated.

"Why am I here?" The woman was being evasive. Intentionally or otherwise he didn't care, it was irritating him.

"You don't remember what happened last night?" Sandra asked.

"I thought it was a bad dream." His strong voice had become quieter, less certain.

"No, Tom. I'm afraid it wasn't. All of the men you see wandering around here have gone through the same thing."

"How about you?" Tom asked.

"No, I'm still human and I plan on staying this way. Look, if you need someone to talk to, feel free to ask anyone. They all know what you're going through and most of them will be more than willing to help you through it," Sandra said.

For the next half hour, Sandra explained exactly what had happened to Tom. What the new restrictions were (as far as they'd been able to determine for themselves) that he was going to have to live with. She also answered his many questions to the best of her ability.

During their discussion, Jack left and Reid came in in his place. He looked much better. There was actually color in his cheeks and he no longer had that exhausted stoop to his narrow shoulders.

"How did it go?" Sandra asked, momentarily turning her attention to the young ex-FBI agent.

"All right, I guess. I haven't thrown up yet." A self conscious smile graced Reid's lips.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." Turning back to Tom, Sandra introduced them. "Tom James, this is Spencer Reid. Reid, this is Tom James."

"Am I supposed to believe everything you say as gospel?" Tom asked. He'd paused long enough to nod at the younger man but that was about it.

"No," Reid responded, anger making his voice hard. "You could always take a nice long walk outside without sunscreen and see how you feel."

"It's okay, Reid," Sandra said. "You didn't believe me at first either."

Further conversation was pre-empted by Bob and Dean's return. Bob looked a little on the warm side. But he had a thermos in his hand was taking a good, healthy swallow from it.

On the other hand, Dean looked like he'd stood too close to a fire for an extended period of time. His skin was badly sunburnt. There were third degree burns in small isolated areas, like the backs of his hands. There were cracks in his skin from dehydration and he appeared to be dead on his feet. Bad pun but it worked.

"I tried to tell him," Bob stated, putting the lid back on his thermos. "He wouldn't listen to me."

"Obviously not. At least you'll serve as a good example to tome here," Sandra replied, quickly checking the close cropped, blond haired young man over to determine the extent of his injuries."This, Tom, is what happens when you go outside for an extended period of time without drinking blood."

"What's your problem?" Sandra said in a lower voice that only Bob and Dean could hear. "You got a death wish or something?"

"I don't like people telling me what to do," Dean growled.

"Get over it, Dean. We all do as we're told. That's how this little group of ours works. Do us all a favour and grow up," Sandra hissed back.

"Yeah. Sure. Fine." Sandra knew that tone of voice, Dean was just telling her what she wanted to hear.

"Go get a drink and go to sleep. You're up again in eight hours. Reid's going with you," Sandra ordered, watching his hackles rise.

"Great, another stiff neck," Dean mumbled on his way out of the room.

"What did you see out there?" Sandra asked Bob, dismissing Dean from her thoughts. There were days when he wasn't worth the effort. Today was one of those days.

"A few people coming to put flowers on graves and such. Dean thought he saw a shape skulking in the shadows but I didn't see it.

"The sun is strong today. I wouldn't leave Mickey and Jack for very long. They'll come back looking like Dean," Bob reported, plopping down in one of the chairs, bottle in hand.

"What time is it? One o'clock?" Sandra was searching the room for a clock. She hated watches and refused to wear one.

"1:15pm," Bob replied after a brief look at his watch.

"I'll go out at four o'clock til dusk. I don't work tonight and I can stand the heat and sun better than the rest of you," Sandra stated.

"Who's going with you?" Reid demanded. Tom had left the couch and come to the front of the room to join the others. He wanted to know what was going on.

"Noone. I really don't expect any trouble from our friend until after dark. The Kindred work best at night," Sandra said, taking a seat herself.

"Are you forgetting the Prince and what he said about you?" Bob was genuinely concerned. He didn't want to see anything happen to his benefactor. Most of the others agreed with him. She may not have been their sire, as Julian put it, but she was definitely the reason they were all still alive.

"No, I haven't forgotten. I'm just not sure that they'd be so willing to piss you guys off," Sandra said.

"I'm not willing to take that chance," Aaron stated from the doorway. "If you're going to keep watch, then someone's going to be with you. I'll go out with you and someone will relieve me in four hours."

"Whatever you want." After giving Dean the lecture about doing what he was told, Sandra had no intentions of being a hypocrite.

"Come with me, Tom. I'll show you and Cash the lay of the land," Aaron said, waiting for the newly embraced man to join him.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you very much to the people reading this story. I wrote it a long time ago and was hoping someone else would be interested. I hope you're enjoying it as much as I did when I wrote it and now that I'm reading it again!!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER NINE

Late afternoon and early evening passed quietly for Sandra from her position in one of the ancient oak trees that surrounded the cemetery. People came and went, paying their respects to the tenants of the grove.

Brent was on a lower branch, further out of the sun, also keeping close tabs on the mourners. It was a difficult place to see, the leaves obscured them from sight but the slightest movement on their part caused the leaves to rustle. Usually it wasn't a problem. The people were far enough away that they didn't hear. But if they were, they'd stop what they were doing and turn to stare at the trees, probably expecting to see a squirrel or perhaps a cat. For his part, Brent was feeling a little restive. Sitting in a tree for over two hours tended to do that to him.

No one was in hearing distance. Thankfully, Brent shifted his right leg. He'd lost all feeling in it five minutes earlier. The tree branch he was straddling bit farther into his left leg. "Damn it," Brent swore under his breath and tried gain to find a comfortable position.

"You make too much noise, little one," a deep voice said from beneath Brent.

Before Brent had a chance to react, large hands caught his left arm and leg and pulled him off the branch. He crashed through the foliage, twigs gouging at his flesh, until finally he hit the ground, left shoulder first. His baseball cap had fallen off during the early stages of his descent. After a few moments it joined him.

Stars flashed before Brent's eyes. The sun was down in the west but still cast enough light that it couldn't have been real stars he was seeing. His left side was virtually useless. He'd lost all sensation after the fall. Pins and needles were all ready starting in his shoulder. They were also gradually making their way down his arm so the damage didn't appear to be permanent.

A large mass landed on the ground beside Brent, a dark robed shape that blended into the shadows created by the trees.

"Did you come back for seconds?" the shadow asked, the voice gravely and menacing.

The shape bend down over Brent, an ice cold hand caught him around the neck. Then he was being lifted until his cowboy boots didn't touch the ground. Frantic, Brent clawed at the place he though the creature's eyes were. He found nothing but bald scalp and bone. Breathing was impossible. He man's fingers straddled his wind pipe and were cutting off all air and blood to his brain. Brent's struggles were become weaker as oblivion threatened to take him.

In a distant world, beyond the haze that clouded Brent's vision, someone screamed. The hand loosened temporarily long enough for him to twist free and fall in a heaving lump to the grass.

"You leave him alone, you son of a bitch," a familiar female voice shouted, followed immediately by a large thump.

A low growl erupted from a short distance away. With each quivering breath, Brent's vision cleared. His left side, while still a big stiff, appeared to be fully functional after a quick test. There was another thump. Then he heard a loud crack. Through his slightly blurry eyes, Brent saw the tree branch Sandra had been hitting the dark shape with shatter across its back.

The shape barely missed a step as it advanced on the human female. White hands came up out of the cloak's sleeves, intent on grasping the woman. Sandra backed up as fast as she could, searching the deepening shadows for another weapon, anything. The thickest part of her branch was clutched senselessly in her right hand. Her back hit something solid. She had no place else to go. She stopped, feeling fear rise up for the thousandth time as she considered her options in a heartbeat. Looking down at her hand, she saw the branch.

The figure was closing the gap between them, deliberately taking its time. It enjoyed watching its prey squirm and wanted the moment to last. Five feet separated them, then four feet, then three.

When the distance was down to two feet, Sandra could wait no more. Growling under her breath, she brought up the tree branch and thrust it was hard as she could at the figure's chest. At the same moment, Brent rushed the creature from behind and pushed it forward. Sandra felt the ragged end of the branch breath through skin and muscle, a warm, sticky liquid gushed out over her fingers.

The creature kept going, straight for Sandra, long sharp teeth aimed for her neck. At the last moment, she dropped, to keep her neck out of his groping reach and lay against the headstone that had stopped her retreat. She curled up into a ball as she felt the man's weight fall on top of her. The tree limb jabbed into her right side as the shade clawed at her arms to reach the tender neck beneath.

Brent jumped on the shade and used all his strength to pull it off of Sandra but he was shaken off like a leaf. He dove again, desperate to protect the woman, to make sure she wasn't made into one of them. With a simple shrug of the shoulder, Brent went flying and landed against a headstone several feet away.

Two forms flashed by Brent and attacked the shade. In the dime light Brent could make out Spencer and Dean's faces as they struggled with the creature. Spencer had his arm around the shade's neck and was trying to force the creature back, away from Sandra. Dean was trying to pull the human out from under the dark figure.

The fight went on for several minutes. The creature didn't seem to lose any strength as the time slipped by. Spencer had managed to bring its head up and away from Sandra but still couldn't dislodge it from its perch. The struggle was virtually silent except for the occasional growls and grunts from the participants.

Just as Spencer thought he might be making some headway, the creature let go of Sandra with one of its hands. Then it caught hold of the young man's arm and brought his wrist to his mouth. Sharp teeth ripped through delicate flesh, revealing the veins underneath.

Spencer screamed and tried to backpedal, to get the creature off of him. Dean and Brent closed in and added their strength to the foray. Blood flowed freely down Spencer's arm. The creature had its lips wrapped around the wound and was eagerly sucking up the juices.

"Get it off!" Spencer gasped, feeling his life ebb.

"Hold on, Spence." Dean tried to reassure the taller man. He brought a gun out of his coat pocket. He wasn't supposed to have it, none of them were. In this instance, Dean was glad he did. Bringing it up, Dean placed the barrel against the creature's right ear and pulled the trigger. Light flashed, the barrel jumped and the report sounded.

Finally, the creature slumped, a thin trail of blood making its way across its head from the ruptured ear. Carefully, Brent removed Spencer's ruined arm from the creature's mouth. He pulled his t-shirt off and used it to wrap the gaping wound.

"Are you all right?" Dean was kneeling down beside where Sandra lay on the grass on her back, trembling now that the danger had passed.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sandra said, rolling up onto her feet. The trembling wouldn't stop despite her best efforts. "How's Spencer?"

"Not good. We got to get him back, fast," Brent answered.

"There's another one," Dean said quietly as he helped Sandra over to Spencer's side.

Sandra's shoulders slumped momentarily. "Even when we watch," she mumbled feeling defeated. "Where is he?"

"Back toward the entrance. We can get him on our way to the van," Dean stated.

"Hey," Brent called looking around himself like he'd lost his wallet or something.

"What's wrong now?" Sandra was getting anxious to get home to heal their wounds, most especially Spencer's. She had a soft spot for the boy. He'd needed her so much more than the others. Thanks to his aversion to the blood.

"He's gone. The guy. He just up and disappeared."

Brent was right. The creature they'd fought had vanished without a trace. They'd been so busy looking after their injuries to notice its absence. None of them had expected it to go anywhere. It shoul dahve been dead.

"Great, just great," Dean swore. He caught hold of Spencer and forced him to his feet. "After all this it just gets up and walks away."

"W got to get bigger guns," Dean said turning to face Sandra.

"I'm beginning to agree with you," Sandra replied. "Let's get out of here before it comes back."

The trembling was quickly zapping what reserve strength Sandra had. But she insisted that Dean and Brent help Spencer. He could barely maintain an upright position. All the way to the van, Sandra was kicking herself for letting Spencer come out here. They'd just figured out a way to keep the boy going. She shouldn't have done it.

The latest draftee was lying among some bushes a little inside the front gate. Brent and Dean had to take Spencer to the van and then come back for him. Sandra was of absolutely no help. She collapsed beside the boy and waited for the others to return.

Sitting beside the mass of jumbled limbs, Sandra had enough energy to straighten him out a bit. He was a baby, at least that's what he looked like to her. The youngest member of their group had been Brent at twenty but this one appeared to be younger still. If he was eighteen, Sandra would eat her hat, if she was wearing one.

The boy had fine, chiselled features, a medium build and probably stood about five foot, ten inches when he wasn't horizontal. His hair was dark, king of long and slightly wavy. His eye color was anyone's guess at this point.

The monster was usually very careful to make she he did nothing to mar the men's appearance., which was very important to it. This time, however, he'd left a large gash along the boy's throat. It was either hurried or was simply getting sloppy.

With the end of her shirt, Sandra wiped at the gash. She wasn't going to be able to stop the bleeding. The boy had all ready bled as much as he was going to. She wanted to get the wound as clean as she could. It would have to be wrapped later. Kindred, if that was what these guys really were, healed quickly, but only when they were well fed.

They were taking a chance every time they brought one of the monster's victims home. The boy may be embraced, as Julian called it, or he may simply be dead. They'd know one way or the other in a day or two. If he came to, he was embraced, if he didn't, he was dead. It had happened twice so far. Both times the boys were not drop-dead gorgeous like the rest of them.

On the other side of the cement wall the city was still awake and humming. Cars rolled down the street, honking horns, squealing tires, the drivers oblivious to the sacred ground of the cemetery.

Where are they? Sandra wondered. A vision of the monster crouched over Spencer's lifeless body flashed through her mind.

A hand gripped Sandra's should, cold as death. She nearly jumped out of her skin, a short scream escaped from between her lips.

"Sorry," Dean said coming around from behind her. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"The hell you didn't," Sandra retorted trying to get her heart working again.

Brent was laughing quietly to himself as he helped Dean pick up the limp young man.

"Very funny." Sandra hated it when they did that to her, all of them could. They moved so quietly, which was how the shade had gotten the drop on Brent, that you'd have to be staring at the them to see them coming. Exhausted, the group headed back to the van.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

The boy was put on the bed in the back of the van. Spencer, sleeping or unconscious, was beside him. Brent climbed into the driver's seat, put the keys in the ignition and gunned the engine. Dean took the passenger seat and Sandra positioned herself onto the floor beside the bed so she could keep a close eye on the casualties.

The trip was quick and quiet, just the way Sandra liked it. Brent parked the van in a shed behind the house. The place was supposed to be abandoned. He didn't want to ruin the illusion. The two men picked the boy up and carried him out of the van and into the back door of the house. Sandra stayed with Spencer, partly to keep him company, mainly to recover enough to move inside.

"Are you okay?" Sandra looked around the captain's chair in front of her to find Aaron's concerned face.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just very tired. Spencer needs to get inside, though," she replied. "He needs blood, now."

"Do you need help?" Sandra could hear some of the others talking behind Aaron, asking questions and moving around uneasily.

"No, I don't think so." Sandra pushed herself up to her feet and carefully negotiated her way out into the fresh night air. She was doing okay but Mickey caught hold of her arm and led her into the house.

"I can do this on my own," Sandra protested.

"Yes, I know," Mickey replied. He led her to one of the bedrooms and sat her down on one of the two beds. "I want you to get some sleep."

"What about Spencer?"

"We'll get blood into him and bring him here to rest. Don't worry, we can handle it." Gently, Mickey pushed Sandra down onto the bed, untied her runners and pulled them off of her feet. Then he brought her legs up onto the bed and covered her with a thick blanket.

"You won't be any good to us if you get sick," Mickey stated. Then he left the room, pausing long enough to blow out a gas lantern near the door and closing the door behind him.

Four minutes later, Sandra was sound asleep. The only reason it had taken her that long was because of the rivulets of torn flesh on either side of her throat where the monster had cut her with his unusually long fingernails, were itching like tiny fires were burning near her skin. _I'm going to have to do something about that,_ was her last thought as she slipped into the warm folds of sleep.

OOOOO

A light burned brightly on the other side of her closed eyelids. Sandra tried to ignore it. She felt as though she hadn't slept at all. For all she knew, she hadn't. Voices, hushed just below the level where she could understand what they were saying. Again she tried to ignore it. Feet shuffled by her bed to the one along the wall. The other bed creaked as something long and slightly heavy was laid on it. _Probably Spencer_, she thought. More hushed voices, the lantern was removed. Sandra didn't hear it being blown out and then the door creaked partially shut.

Almost against her will, Sandra's head turned toward the other bed, the furrows in her neck screaming in protest, and her eyes opened. A moment of frantic focusing and her eyes came to see Spencer's still face six feet away. In the dim light, the lamp in the hallway afforded, Sandra noted that his wrist wasn't bandaged but it was turned away from her so she couldn't see the final results. Spencer was breathing deeply and evenly. _They got blood into him. He'll be okay_ she thought. Content, she fell asleep.

OOOOO

Pain flashed through Sandra's neck. She sucked in a sharp breath between her clenched teeth.

"Sorry," Aaron said. "You've been asleep for twelve hours. I didn't want to wait any longer to clean these."

"It's okay," Sandra replied. Now that she knew the cause of the pain, she was able to push it to the back of her mind. "How's the new kid?"

"Weak, scared, confused. All the usual," Aaron stated as he worked.

"What about Spencer?" Sleep was trying to steal over her again. She fought it. Sandra wanted desperately to turn her head and check for herself but Aaron would have objected.

"He's fine. He's sleeping," Aaron said, trying to hide the concern he felt for the younger man.

"Everyone else?" It was getting harder to stay above the dark quilt that kept floating up of its own accord.

"Fine, go back to sleep," Aaron instructed. Sandra could feel his hot breath on her neck. It smelled vaguely metallic. It tickled. She slept again.

OOOOO

Muscles worked. Sandra's eyes opened to the gloomy room. She stretched her arms over her head, and all the way down to her toes. Bones creaked, muscles complained but she felt better, more rested than she'd been in days. The sun was up, of that much she could tell. It permeated the room with a dull glow from the outer side of the black paper lining the window. All of the windows were lined, to protect the building's inhabitants and to keep prying eyes out. It was supposed to be an abandoned house after all.

Movement to her right. Sandra turned to find Mickey sound asleep in a chair beside her bed. Spencer was similarly indisposed on his own bed, still looking much healthier. As quietly as the creaky old bed springs would let her, Sandra slipped off her bed and padded across the wooden floor to the door.

_I really have to oil this thing_, she thought to herself as the door screeched in protest when she opened it far enough to slip though. Mickey was awake instantly, on his feet and partway to the door before who was there fully registered. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Downstairs. Your company is a little too simulating for me," Sandra replied, a mischievous glint in her brown eyes.

"I'll go with you." Mickey pulled the door further open and exited the room. "How do you feel?"

"Much better now, thank you." Mickey was a deeply personal, quiet man. Sandra had liked him ever since he'd woken up after being embraced. The first questions he'd asked, naturally, was where was he? What had happened? Who she and the others were? They all asked the same questions. She imagined she would too. It was his reaction that had impressed her.

There was a moment of panic but it ended quickly and then he'd accepted it. Everything. She hadn't heard him complain once since and he was always available when another set of hands were needed. He had proven his worth and loyalty several times over. Gradually, Sandra had learned to trust him with her life.

"Why are you so concerned with my safety?" The thought had occurred to her suddenly. It fit Mickey's behaviour to a T.

"Mr. Luna has found his way back. He was here last night and asked about you. Aaron thought it was prudent to keep an eye on you." She knew Mickey wouldn't lie to her, not about the important things.

"He overheard Dean's description of the monster and seems to think he knows which clan he is from. If you want to believe what he says, Mr. Luna plants on coming back tonight, with a friend."

"Aren't we lucky," Sandra said, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "And to what do we owe this sudden interest?"

"He seems to be genuinely concerned about the monster. And Sam, the boy you brought back, was hysterical when he came to. Luna was there. It appeared to affect him deeply," Mickey stated.

"You don't trust him." It was a statement of fact, not a question.

"I don't trust anyone outside of a few people," was Mickey's response.

"That something I can relate to." They'd reached the main floor. It was virtually deserted. Most of the kindred were sleeping. They tired easily during the day.

Aaron, however, was rattling around in the kitchen. The gas stove was up and running and Sandra could hear the spitting and bubbling of hot butter on a frying pan. Entering the room, she smelled the eggs he was cooking.

"Feeling hungry, are we?" Sandra asked.

"I heard you moving around. I thought you'd be hungry." The older man lifted the eggs out of the pan, slipped them onto a plant and placed it in front of Sandra. She'd sat at the table.

"Thank you." Sandra was aware of just how hungry she was when she looked at the eggs and hash browns steaming on the plate. Mickey handed her a knife and fork and she dug in.

"I hear we had some company last night," Sandra said around a mouthful of egg.

"Uninvited guests," Aaron stated. "Nothing to worry about."

"Where's Sam?" Sandra asked, deciding to change the subject.

"Asleep out on the couch. It seems to be the best place for him. Tom's keeping an eye on him," Aaron replied.

Half of the food on the plate was gone. Sandra paused to take a breather and scratched absently at the bandages covering most of her neck.

"Where's the other new guy, Cash?" Sandra felt as though she'd been out of touch for a long time and needed to catch up.

"Asleep upstairs. He's spent most of his time with Sam. I think he's helped keep the boy from becoming completely suicidal." Aaron was washing the dishes made thus far in the porcelain sink with water he'd heated earlier on the stove. It struck Sandra as kind of funny. But her mouth was full again and she didn't want to spit it out.

The next few minutes were spent in a companionable silence, except for the clanging of dishes of dishes. Sandra ate her food and Mickey leaned against the door jam, watching.

The kitchen window had been boarded shut when they'd taken over the house. Sandra had covered it with black paper anyway, to keep sunlight out from the gaps in the boards. It made the room seem closer than it would otherwise have been. The only furnishings were the table, four mismatched chairs and the gas stove on its metal stand. There were cupboards lining two of the walls and the sink but the stove and fridge were both gone, taken away by the last residents.

Finished, Sandra stood up, pushing the chair back with her legs, delivered the plate and utensils to Aaron and left the room. Down the hall, two doors to the left was the bathroom. Sandra headed for it. Inside was a chemical toilet, she was the only one who used it, the claw footed, porcelain tub, a vanity and sink. Sitting in the tub was a large pail of warm water. Aaron had thought of everything.

Bathing was kind of a tricky business due to the lack of running water. The water still drained fine, however, for which Sandra was grateful. She desperately wished for a shower. She missed the feeling of the hot water coursing over her skin and through her hair. Sighing from the tips of her toes, she set about getting clean.

OOOOO

Even with look outs, Julian Luna and his two companions were inside the building before anyone was aware of them. One moment empty space, the next three kindred Premagins stood surveying the living room. Spencer nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Degolas, Nosferatu clan. He backed up along the couch he'd been sitting on and went a deathly shade of white.

"Must you do that?" Aaron asked, superimposing himself between the two to give the kid time to recover. The inferiority of their security was very apparent. They were going to have to upgrade drastically.

"You are vulnerable. We thought we'd demonstrate," Julian stated. He'd noticed Spencer's reaction and chose to explore it. "Is he all right?"

"Fine," Aaron answered for him. Cooper wasn't entirely sure of his voice so he stayed mute.

Degolas moved a couple of steps forward, carefully watching the boy. He stood up and moved to the opposite end of the room. Then he turned to face the man. There was terror in his brown eyes but he stood his ground.

"It was one like you," Spencer stated, pausing to lick dry lips. Visions of the attack were replaying themselves behind his eyes in vivid colour and detail. Spencer's hands had started to shake. Angrily, he shoved them into his pants pockets.

"Your attacker is of the Nosferatu clan." Degolas' voice was deep.

"And yet," the woman with the two men said. "You have not undergone the change."

The others were drifting into the room, wary, watching everything the Premagins did.

"Who are these people?" Sam asked. The back of the room, as far from them as possible, seemed like a good idea to him. At least until he knew what was going on.

"This is Julian Luna, Prince of the Kindred, which is what we've become according to him," Dean volunteered. He stood just behind and to the left of the intruders, Bob was on the right. "These two we don't know."

"Forgive my rudeness. I should have introduced you before. This is Degolas, Premagin of the Nosferatu clan, and the lady is Lily, Premagin of the Toreador clan," Julian stated. "The clans have sent us here to decide what to do with you."

"That's pretty pretentious of you, don't you think?" Aaron asked. He couldn't believe how self important these people felt. They may have better control and knowledge of their powers as kindred but his people had more to lose and would fight to the death to protect it.

"The clans cannot tolerate anything or anyone who threatens the masquerade. We cannot go back to the days of being hunted like animals and burned at the stake," Julian said.

"Your existence outside of the clans and that of the human female are threats that must be dealt with," Julian continued. As he spoke, he could see the righteous anger rising in the men.

"What about the creature that made us? What are you going to do about him? Doesn't he threaten the masquerade more than the rest of us combined?" Spencer wanted to know. Now that he was sure that Degolas was not his attacker, he wanted answers.

"We had lives before this happened, families, friends, people who are missing us. Don't you think they're looking for us, kicking up a stink at the police station?" Spencer demanded.

"We have people in the police department. There are no missing person's reports that resemble any of your descriptions," Julian informed them. A ripple of disbelief flowed through the room.

"As to your sire, we have people all over the streets looking and watching." Julian neglected to mention that his people were also searching for Cash. He'd almost given him up for dead. There'd been no sigh what's so ever in the city.

"Evidently they're not very good," Sam stated.

"So," Aaron said in an attempt to cut through the wall of animosity that was building up. "What do you plan on doing with us?" He was genuinely curious. He had no plants to follow their directives. He just wanted to hear them.

"The Toreador, Gangrel, Brujah and Ventrue clans have offered to take you in. The decision of which clan each of you join will be based on your skills.

"We're prepared to move you to my home until things get sorted out," Julian said.

"Thanks but no thanks," Dean stated, taking a step closer to the trio. He didn't like them, didn't trust them and wanted them as far away from his people as he could get them.

"Yeah," several of the others said almost in unison.

"You have no choice," Degolas warned.

"According to you," Dean growled.

"In case you haven't noticed," Bob said, also advancing on Julian. "You're outnumbered here."

"That's enough, Bob," Aarons aid. Turning to the Premagins he continued. "We've listened to you, have considered your proposal and are rejecting it. Sandra is the only human who knows of our existence. She has kept our secret and will continue to do so.

"We do not threaten your masquerade. The creature that made us is so quit wasting time on us and catch him, before we do." Aaron left the last sentence open. He'd also deliberately not mentioned Chris. That was something he'd decided they didn't need to know.

"You don't understand what you've become. You need guidance," Lily insisted. The malice in the room was intensifying.

"We'll figure it out. Now, if you don't mind, I think it's time for you to leave," Aaron suggested. Even though he didn't much like these people, he didn't want his people trying to take them. More than likely, the boys would wind up getting themselves hurt. The trio were far too confident.

With the realization that he wasn't making any headway at all, Julian decided to agree with the dark haired man. Brow-beating these people into submission wouldn't accomplish anything. He nodded to his friend and turned to leave, nearly running over Bob and Dean, who hadn't foreseen his move. Lily and Degolas were surprised but followed the Prince anyway. There'd be time to talk later, in private.

"We will keep you informed," Julian said as they left the room.

No response readily available readily available, Aaron chose to stay silent. The others were talking quietly among themselves.

"Dean and I'll take the first watch," Bob volunteered. Despite their superior skills, he didn't trust the Premagins to do the job right. He wasn't willing to just give up on the next victim. There would be more, of that he was sure.

"Okay, take the bus. It's dark so it shouldn't be a problem. The next shift will bring the van," Aaron stated.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

_Hi. I'm not sure if anyone is still reading this but I'll keep posting anyway. I just wanted to warn you that there isn't any Cash in this chapter but that will change soon. _

_Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear from you!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The bus was nearly deserted when Dean and Bob climbed aboard. This was something that was familiar to them, having made the trip several times in the last few months. Dean led the way down the center aisle to the very back of the base. He wanted to know who got on and who got off. The kindred had learned to be paranoid. It had saved their lives at least once since they'd been embraced.

Settling back into the vinyl bench, Bob pulled a Walkman out of his coat pocket, placed the earphones over his eyes and thumbed the play button. The lyrics of 'Don't Fear the Reaper' played softly. Beside him, Dean checked the other occupants of the bus. The lady four seats in front of them was nodding off. She must be on her way home from work Dean decided. She'd obviously worn herself out.

Three seats further and on the other side of the aisle sat a young man with long blond hair cascading over his shoulders. Not your typical punk rocker or surfer dude, he was well dressed and had a sophisticated air about him. He stared out the window, not aware of the other passengers.

At the front of the bus sat an elderly lady who clutched her purse tightly to her chest. Dean got the impression that she didn't much enjoy travelling at night. He honestly couldn't blame her.

The trip to the graveyard was uneventful. The bone-weary woman missed her stop and cursed herself when she realized she had to walk the extra three blocks. The bus driver must have been familiar with the older lady. He stopped in the middle of the block, right in front of her house. She graced him with a smile, the first Dean had seen, and trudged off the bus. The driver waited until she was safely inside before moving on.

Two other people go on, a young couple desperately in love. They seemed unable to keep their hands to themselves. The kissing that went on was deep, continuous and somewhat disconcerting for Dean to watch. Bob was oblivious, listening to his music.

For a change of scenery, Dean chose to watch the well dressed man, even if he was a more boring subject. Sex and sensuality were subjects that had become mute points to the kindred since being embraced. He imagined that that wouldn't always be true but at the moment survival took precedence.

Their stop was coming up. Dean nudged Bob, stood up and pulled the cord. As they made their way down the aisle to the rear door, the young man turned his head to look at them. Bob stopped in his tracks to stare at the men, having only glanced at him earlier.

The young man's eyes were pale, unnaturally so. As was his skin, veins, blue in colour, stood out along his jaw line. There was something oddly familiar about him. Something neither man could pin point. The man appeared to agree as he returned the close scrutiny.

"Are you going to get off or not?" the driver called back to them.

Breaking eye contact, Bob followed closely by Dean, practically jumped through the double doors. His skin was still crawling. They stood on the sidewalk, collecting their thoughts as the bus swerved back into traffic and accelerated.

"What was that?" Bob asked. Dean had recovered faster and had taken a step off the curb and was crossing the deserted, dark road to the graveyard beyond.

"I don't know," was the reply. Intent on his goal, Dean didn't bother to turn around. Four more strides and he'd be entering the cemetery.

Shaking his head, Bob started after him. The graveyard was dark at night and even with his vampire sight, he didn't want his friend to get too far ahead of him.

A hand, cold and strong, came down on Bob's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. Fear leapt up as Ken pulled against the offending limb and tried to turn around to face his attacker. Visions of his sire raced through his mind. "Dean!" he cried. Another hand descended and wrapped around his mouth.

"Sssshhh," someone hissed in his ear. "I don't intend to hurt you."

Dean appeared across the street and came running the moment what was going on registered. As suddenly as he'd been grabbed, Bob was released. Spinning on his left heel, he came face to face with the man from the bus. Dean came up behind him to vibrate just behind him and to his right. Just in case he needed help.

"What do you want?" Bob asked once the urge to beat the man to a pulp subsided.

"What are you?" the man counted in a voice not much louder than before. Bob did not get any sense of aggression from him and felt a bit of his tension melting away. He remained wary, however.

"Kindred." Bob didn't see any reason to lie. The man was no more human than they were.

"Kindred?" the voice was almost as lifeless as the speaker. But he was gorgeous in an ethereal sense. Obviously, he had no idea what they were talking about.

"Vampires. Do you know what vampires are?" Dean demanded. He felt exposed and vulnerable standing on the sidewalk discussing things that could get him thrown into a rubber room if he wasn't careful. He also felt tension building up at the thought of their sire wandering around.

"I know," the man stated softly. "You, however, do not appear to be the same as I."

"We aren't but I have the feeling that the major points are similar," Bob replied. He looked to be setting in for a long, philosophical discussion. Dean decided to jump in before he got started.

"This is all very fascinating, but Bob, we really have to get going," Dean stated.

"Where are you going?" the man asked, interest in his pale eyes.

"We have to stake out the cemetery. The creature who made us leaves his victims here," Bob explained as Dean turned and retraced his earlier steps.

"Why?" the man inquired as he followed Bob across the road. It had been a long time since he'd been among his own kind and wasn't going to lose them.

"We haven't figured that out yet, other than he wants us to find them." Dean had quite a lead on them and kept disappearing behind headstones.

"How many of you are there?" The man had a grace and stillness about him that was fascinating. Bob had a hard time paying attention to where he was walking.

"Enough," was the only answer that would come out. "What's your name? I'm Bob and the shadow is Dean."

"Gabriel." He accepted the boy's caution. Given their circumstances he didn't blame him.

They were coming to the place Sandra, Bruce, Spencer and Dean had been attacked. Motioning for quiet, Bob made his way silently among the headstones, anxiously searching for Dean. The darkness was nearly complete. What little light there was filtered through the tree boughs from the occasional street lights in the area that worked. Wind caused the branches to sway, making light unpredictable and somewhat spooky.

After several minutes of careful searching, they found the young man crouched behind one of the larger headstones. He was staring beyond to an open area where a stone bench sat for quiet contemplation. Shrubs surrounded the bench on two sides, opposite each other to provide a small level of privacy for the grieving. The shrubs, impenetrable and four feet high blocked their direct view. They could see the edge of the bench and half of the other shrub but not much else.

"I thought I saw something duck into the shrubs," Dean whispered, not taking his eyes off the vegetation.

"Are you sure?" Bob asked, he personally couldn't see a thing.

"There is something there," Gabriel stated from the back. "A presence." He neglected to mention that the presence had a heart-beat, however faint.

Bob considered asking Gabriel how he knew, and then changed his mind. He wasn't sure he wanted to know after all. Cat-like, Dean left the shelter of the headstone and crossed the twenty yards to the shrubs. A moment's hesitation and Bob joined him, followed by Gabriel who didn't appear to feel the need to hide. He remained upright while the others crouched. Cautiously, Dean inched his way along the manicured edge until he could peek around the corner and see the bench.

In the darkness, the stone bench seemed to glow with a dull inner light. Lying sprawled across it was a figure, limbs all akimbo. "Damn," Dean swore under his breath. Beside him, he felt Bob and then Gabriel join him. With his hand, he motioned for them to hold position. Several quick glances and Dean was convinced that there was no one else in the enclave.

"There's someone on the bench. I'm going over there. You and Louis watch my back. Our sire may still be around," Dean ordered before taking off.

Gabriel, tired of the cloak and dagger routine, stepped around Bob to stand fully between the hedges. Whoever or whatever these two kids were afraid of was of no concern of his. Gabriel had survived over two hundred years as a vampire and had found very few things that scared him. While powerful, Gabriel doubted very much that their sire was a real threat.

"He's still alive," Dean called back to them softly. Beneath his finger tips, a faint pulse fluttered. The man was probably about his height, 5' 10" or 11", but Dean had a good forty pounds on him. He seemed to be little more than arms and legs as he picked the man up. They had to get him someplace safe until their relief came. This was not the best alternative.

"You better hurry," Bob called back. "I'm getting a really bad feeling."

A new presence emerged from somewhere behind Gabriel and to his right. Turning faster than the human eye could register, Gabriel launched himself at the presence. It was like hitting a brick wall when he actually made contact, something he wasn't accustomed to anymore, not since coming over. Grasping the presence's neck, Gabriel squeeze with all of his might while his feet located the ground again. First his left hand and then his right hand was slowly pried away. Looking at his attacker's eyes, Gabriel was disconcerted to find that they glowed yellow. His arms were pushed back until he was a good two feet away from the presence. Growling deep in his throat, Gabriel strained against the cold fingers and managed to extract his arms from the creature's grasp.

One of the boys jumped at the creature from the side while it was distracted by the older man. Absently, the creature brushed Bob aside, sending him crashing into the nearest headstone. Moaning softly, he lay where he fell, not moving. Angered, Gabriel launched himself again, aiming for the creature's middle with his shoulder.

Pain flashed through Gabriel when he made contact but he felt the creature give, bending over him on impact. Rolling out of the way, Gabriel caught hold of the creature's nearest leg and pulled him down beside him. Still growling, having felt this angry only twice since crossing over, he bared his fangs and bent to rip the creature's neck open.

The body flailed against his restraining hands. Odd gurgling sounds erupted now and then as the blood rushed out of him.

"Is it dead?" Dean asked coming up to him, the human slung over his shoulder.

"I don't know how your kind die," Gabriel replied as the creature finally stopped moving.

"That makes two of us," Dean muttered. Carefully, he laid the human down and went to his friend. Bob was slowly coming around. His right arm was pinned beneath him at an awkward angle. As gently as Dean could manage, he pulled the arm out and examined it thoroughly.

"Damn," Dean swore under his breath. "It's broken." The last part was said louder so Louis could hear him.

"It'll heal after he sleeps in his coffin," the other vampire stated, sounding very sure of himself. He had yet to let go of the creature. He had a sneaky suspicion that if he did, it would get away.

"Coffin?" Dean turned to face the taller man. "You've got to be kidding."

"No, they are very much a necessity for me," Gabriel stated.

"We have a lot to discuss. I'll find something to tie him up with just in case." Dean slipped into the shadows headed for the nearest row of houses or an equipment shed if there was one.

Shrugging his shoulders, Gabriel settled down to wait, content to be with his own even if they weren't exactly alike. A soft moan came from Bob, he was coming further around and the pain in his arm had just registered.

Bob jumped, suddenly, looking around frantically. "It's all right," Gabriel called softly to him. "He's over here."

Slowly, Bob turned to face him, still looking a little panicky. "Are you sure?" he asked, bracing his broken arm with a hiss.

"Positive."

OOOOO

By the time the second shift showed up, Dean and Gabriel had their attacker tied up and Bob's arm secured against his body. Their human counterpart had not yet come to. He still had a pulse and was breathing so Dean had wrapped him up in his coat and pretty much left him alone otherwise.

Footsteps in the grass heralded their arrival. Dean stood, prepared to defend his charges, just in case. Mickey came around one of the headstones, his head moving from side to side as he scanned the area.

"Ho, Mickey," Dean called to him just before he stepped on a sleeping Bob.

"What's going on?" the dark haired man asked, quickly taking in the scene before him. His eyes came to rest on the creature, securely trussed with two lengths of chain at least. "You caught him?"

"Well, actually, Gabriel here did it for us." Dean indicated the older man sitting beside the creature.

"Huh," was all the comment that received.

OOOOO

A thorough search of the area revealed another victim, a young man with dark chestnut coloured hair. He too had been forcibly embraced, his skin all the paler for the experience. Disgusted Mickey and Aaron picked the man up between them and hauled him to the van, parked across the street from the cemetery. One he was secure, they went back to help the others.

OOOOO

"What do we do with it?" Spencer asked, standing as far away from the creature as he could and still remain in the room.

"Give it to Mr. Julian Luna. Let him deal with it," Aaron replied, staring at their sire. The creature was chained in a corner of the basement, rendered virtually immobile. He had come awake a few minutes ago and was snarling at the men he embraced, straining against the chains.

"Are you sure he's secure?" Thomas asked, inching back a few steps as the growling got louder.

"Who cares," Dean said, fingering a knife he'd found in the kitchen.

"What are you going to do? Drain him and throw him outside in the sun?" Bob asked his arm in a cast.

"Why not? It's better than he did for us."

"Enough!" Aaron ordered, glared at the two men. "Dean, Mickey, watch him. If he tries anything, at all, do just as Bob said. I'm going to go see Mr. Luna."

"How are they doing?" Aaron asked, popping his head into the bedroom where Sandra tended the two newest recruits.

"The kindred is fine, he hasn't come around yet. The human's in rough shape. He needs a hospital or at least a doctor," she replied, applying a damp cloth to the lanky man's forehead.

"I'm going to see Julian Luna. Maybe he can help." Sandra paused in her work to stare at him.

"Is that wise?" she asked, greatly concerned for her friend.

"The creature is their responsibility, not ours. We don't have the resources to keep him captive for an extended period of time, either," Aaron stated.

"I suppose. At least take people with you. I don't want you walking in there alone."


	12. Chapter 12

_Hi! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about this story. I will continue to update it as often as I can!!_

_Just so you know, Louis is now Gabriel. I had to reread the guidelines when uploading a story and realized Ms. Rice doesn't want her characters included on the website. That's fine but I'm not willing to drop the character of the more classic vampire, hence Gabriel. He still looks incredibly like Brad Pitt but he's not Louis. _

_Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER TWELVE

Finding the Prince's house was easier than Aaron had initially thought. Cash had known where to go without knowing how or why. The house was huge and sat on a hill overlooking the San Francisco basin.

The van looked out of place as it pulled around the fountain in front of the house. Putting it in park, Aaron opened the door, climbed out and came around the vehicle. The side door slid open and Thomas and Gabriel stepped out. Cash sat in the passenger seat, motionless, staring straight ahead through the windshield.

"Are you coming?" Aaron asked, turning his attention to the younger man.

Memories were flashing through the Gangrel Premagin's mind, full of menace, danger and fear. There was no order or rhyme to the images and the faces were blurred. Pain coursed through Cash's skull. Groaning, he put his hands on either side of his head.

Concerned, Thomas opened the van door and put his hand on Cash's shoulder, feeling the muscles underneath, tight as violin strings.  
"You go ahead, I'll stay here with him," Thomas said to the others. He had no idea what was wrong but he didn't think the blond haired man should be left alone.

"Keep your eyes open, they may not be too thrilled with our being here," Aaron instructed as he and Gabriel headed out. He wasn't thrilled to be walking into enemy territory with only a person he didn't know at this side but it was better than going by himself.

The door swung open before Aaron had a chance to knock. It only made sense that they would know they were here. Aaron had done nothing to hide their approach. One way or another, Thomas and Cash were probably being watched as were he and Gabriel. The man standing at the door was older, his black hair liberally streaked with grey. Despite that, Aaron recognized the strength still prominent in the man's manner.

"May I help you?" the man asked, eyeing the two strangers quizzically.

"Is Julian Luna in? I need to speak to him," Aaron said. He was aware that Gabriel had stepped back into the shadows a few feet behind him.

"Whom may I say is calling?" the man asked even though Aaron had the feeling he all ready knew.

"The renegades," Aaron stated simply.

"Is that some kind of singing group?" the man asked, a small smile on his lips.

Aaron was about to lose patience with the man when he heard a familiar voice say from the other side of the door. "It's all right, Archon, I've been expecting them."

Julian Luna pulled the oak door open far enough for the two men on the front steps to see him. Surprise registered on his dark features momentarily as he took in the two figures, especially Gabriel who continued to linger in the shadows.

"Please come in," Julian said, quickly recovering himself as he stepped back into the entry way.

"Thank you." Cautiously, Aaron passed through the doorway to stop three feet inside. He didn't feel comfortable going any farther in. Just in case he had to make a hasty exit. _I've been at this too long,_ he thought to himself. _I've become paranoid._ A few moments of hesitation and Gabriel followed him in, stopping just inside the doorway. The two Ventrue kindred had trouble keeping their eyes off of him, they knew he was kindred but of a kind they'd never encountered before.

"We've caught the creature that made us," Aaron stated in an effort to prevent questions he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answers to.

"Very good. What do you plan on doing with him," Julian inquired, impressed.

"We're not sure to be honest. Some of them want to see it fry."

"While that probably will be the ultimate outcome, it may be better for all of you if we get some information from him first," Julian suggested.

"What do you mean 'better for all of you'?" Aaron demanded, not liking the implications.

"We need to know how he created you and your friends. Is the one of your people?" Julian indicated the ever silent Gabriel.

'No. He's the one who caught it."

One of Julian's people a blond woman of about twenty-five, slight but muscular, came into the entryway from a door off to their left. Aaron hadn't noticed it before. She didn't look at any of them except for Julian. Crossing the distance between them, she paused and whispered something in the Prince's ear. When she was finished, he turned his head to stare at her, almost in disbelief. Clearly shaken, he turned his attention back to the renegades.

"Are you here alone?" Julian asked his gaze intense. The woman had left just as quickly as she'd come.

"No, two of my men are still in the van." Aaron was somewhat bewildered by the question and wondered briefly if the Prince was planning on attacking them if they were alone.

"May we go see them?" Even Archon was looking puzzled by the Prince's behaviour.

"Why?" Aaron wanted to know.

"One of my friends is missing. My people tell me he may be in your vehicle."

"Cash?" Archon asked surprised.

"Yes, we found him a couple of days ago. He didn't seem too eager to come inside," Aaron stated.

"Please, let's go outside," Julian said, anxious to see his friend again after having given him up for dead. He started for the door, closely followed by his mentor. He was oblivious to whether the other two were coming. He really didn't care.

OOOOO

The man standing in the open door, Julian recognized from the house. He had no idea what his name was and had no interest in finding out at the moment. He was leaning in the door, the overhead light creating a silhouette. The other person was blocked from view by the man. All he could see, as Julian barely managed to keep himself from running, was the top of the person's head. The seated man appeared to be ill. He was doubled over, his forehead resting on his knees.

When Julian reached the vehicle, he pulled the man out of the way and peered at the man in the seat. Relief and joy threatened to overcome him as he found the familiar feature so his friend. Kneeling down until his face was level with Cash's, Julian gently touched the side of his face. "Cash?" he whispered.

After a moment, during which Julian wasn't sure he'd been heard, the younger man turned his head to look him in the eye.

"Do you know me?" Cash asked his voice barely above a whisper. The pounding in his head and the seconds before, during and after he was shot were continuing unabated. He'd been grateful for Thomas's continued presence and now was wondering where he'd gone. If, by some miracle, this man knew who he was, Cash still didn't recognize him and therefore, did not trust him.

Concern quickly replacing his relief, Julian moved in a little closer so he could get a better look at Cash. "You're my friend," he stated simply.

"I don't remember," Cash murmured.

Gabriel hung to the back of the group, keeping tabs on all of them. He was the first to notice the large, bald man who appeared as if out of thin air to the right of the house. For a split-second, he thought it was the creature again until he saw the concern reflected in the blue eyes. The other had been wild, crazy, through and through. Settling back, he returned to witnessing the even unfolding before him.

"What is the first thing you do remember?" Julian asked. Aaron gave a subtle shake of his head over the Prince's shoulder, warning Cash not to mention Chris.

Gathering his shattered thoughts and possible memories, Cash sorted through them until he decided which was the earliest. "Being shot," he said, absently rubbing the spot where the bullet had hit him. Under his cotton shirt, he could still feel a raised area. It no longer hurt.

"By whom?" Archon demanded.

"I don't know." The pounding was increasing in tempo and strength. Cash rubbed at his eyes in hopes it would help. It didn't.

"I think we'd better get him back to the house," Aaron suggested.

"He belongs here," Julian snapped. He'd just found his friend and bodyguard. He didn't want to lose him again.

"He was fine until we got here," Thomas interjected.

"They may have a point, sir," Degolas responded. The Gangrel Premagin's condition could partially be explained by a phosphorous bullet but not entirely. He wanted to examine the boy but not some place where he was this adversely effected.

"What would you suggest?" Julian demanded. He hated the helplessness that had crept into his thoughts. It had been happening far too often lately.

"Take him to the house. We will follow and take care of your other problem as well as examining Cash," Archon said.

"I don't want you anywhere near the house." Aaron didn't much like the idea.

"If you are worried about the human woman, Sandra, don't. I give you my word nothing will happen to her," Julian insisted. She'd taken care of Cash. She deserved some consideration.

Aaron thought about it as he watched Cash writhe in pain.

"All right, Thomas, Gabriel, get in."


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The back door of the house was covered by Bob and Brent. James motioned them back as Tom and Gabriel helped the still hurting Cash inside.

"What happened?" Bob demanded.

"It's okay. This has nothing to do with them. Luna and some of his friends will be here in a few minutes. Let them in and take them to see the creature," Aaron ordered as he made way for the others to pass.

The wounded were all being kept in the same place, the room Sandra and Reid had slept in. Cash was laid down on an empty bed. Sandra was busy ministering to the human victim. At least his colour was better from the last time Aaron had seen him. She gave the older man a questioning look while she put a damp cloth on the human's forehead.

"I don't know. It started as soon as we go to Luna's place," Aaron replied. "Where's the new guy?" He'd just noticed the man's absence.

"Downstairs with some of the others learning the ropes." Sandra paused, expecting the other to tell her of his adventure. When he didn't, she moved over to Cash and began examining the boy before she continued. "So, what happened with the Prince?" She had trouble keeping the sarcasm out of her voice.

"Luna and some of his people are coming around for the creature." Taking a deep breath, Aaron plunged into the next part. "He says he knows Cash, that they were friends."

"Cash said something about being shot." Aaron stated.

Shocked, Sandra pulled the boy's shirt up to reveal the scar. "If they know him then why did he come back here? Shouldn't they have been able to help him?" Sandra was beginning to feel very helpless. There was really little she could do for her charges and she was frustrated.

"He wanted to come back. He doesn't know them and doesn't trust them."

'How's the pain?" Sandra asked the young man. His eyes were closed but she didn't think he was asleep.

"Better. At least it doesn't feel like my head is going to fall off," Cash mumbled.

Scrounging up another cloth, Sandra soaked it in a basin half-full with water, wrung it out and tenderly placed it on the Gangrel's forehead. "Try to get some sleep, it may help."

Exhaustion threatened to overwhelm Sandra. Her own injury was itching like crazy and she'd been pushing herself since she'd waken up nearly 24 hours before. She sat down heavily in the nearest chair and wiped a trembling hand across her eyes.

"Come with me," Aaron said. Taking her by the arm, he helped her to her feet and out the door.

"Where?" was all Sandra managed.

"To bed. Luna should be here any time and I'd feel better if I knew you were safe." Aaron led her to the room down the hall where some of the kindred usually slept. It was a bit of a mess but not terribly and all of the kindred were busy. She'd be the only one in the room. Settling the human woman on the nearest bed, Aaron covered her up and left. She was sound asleep by the time Brent crept in and shut the door. He leaned against it to make sure no one would come in without his knowledge. He could still keep an eye on the boarded up window on the opposite wall as well.

OOOOO

"He is Nosferatu," Degolas stated, kneeling beside the snarling, spitting mass. "But I do not recognize him."

"Neither do I." Julian's estimation of the vampire Gabriel rose a notch or two. Occasionally, a kindred would become mentally disturbed and would have to be destroyed among all of the clans. None had reached the level of this one though. Silently, Julian motioned for the four Gangrels waiting patiently behind him to take the man.

Having had previous experience, they had little trouble subduing, gagging and removing him. Degolas stood and moved to his Prince's side.

"May we see Cash now?" Julian asked, looking expectantly at Aaron and the others crowding the basement room.

"Sure, follow me."

OOOOO

When they entered the makeshift infirmary, Julian made a bee-line for his friend who was sleeping fitfully. Degolas remained at the door and stared at the still unconscious human.

"Who did this?" Degolas asked.

"The creature," Aaron replied. "We're open to suggestions."

"Did he die?"

"Not that I'm aware of, Bob and Dean surprised him before he could finish."

The large man knelt down beside the human. His hand disappeared into the oversized coat he wore. Degolas brought out objects that Aaron couldn't identify and set to work.

Julian seemed content to sit beside his friend's bed and guard his sleep. Deciding there was nothing he could do, Aaron left the room to join the others standing, lounging or sitting in front of the door that led to Sandra's room and waited.

OOOOO

The two Premagins spent the rest of the night and the better part of the next day tending to the patients. Sandra slept most of the time they were there. She was somewhat disconcerted to find them in the infirmary after she woke up.

"You've done well in keeping him alive," Degolas stated, not looking up from his ministrations. It became obvious to Sandra as she watched the strange man that he was fighting to save more than just the man's life.

"Thank you," Sandra replied, moving over to Cash and a dozing Julian. Gently, so as not to disturb the sleeping man, she touched Cash's cheek to see if his temperature had gone down.

Cash opened his eyes and looked at her. Sandra was relieved to find little pain in those blue depths. "How are you feeling?" she whispered, smiling down at him.

"Better," Cash replied, sitting up. He glanced at Julian but showed no change of expression as he followed Sandra with his eyes to the doorway.

"If you need anything," Sandra said to the Nosferatu just before she left. "Let us know."

OOOOO

"Where do we go from here?" Spencer asked. The renegade kindred, Gabriel and Sandra had gathered in the sitting room to discuss their future.

"Anywhere we want," was Dean's answer. He wanted to get as far from Julian Luna as he could. Although, he supposed there'd be kindred pretty much any direction they went in.

"That's not exactly true. You still have certain conditions to consider," Sandra stated. She'd removed the bandages from her neck and looked less like an automobile accident survivor. The wounds still itched like crazy, though. She was able to ignore it for only short periods before it got to her.

Across the room from her, Spencer rested in one of the chairs while Brent leaned against the wall. They were pale, battered and bruised from the fight with the creature three days earlier. The other kindred, including their newest edition, Sam, were scattered on the other chairs along the walls. Some of them were sipping from the bottles of blood. Others just lounged. They were enjoying not having to watch the graveyard any more.

"So, there are ways around them," Brent replied. He'd voted to move to another house. Preferably one Luna and his cronies knew nothing about.

"Maybe, but you still have to keep them in mind," Sandra stated.

"What about you?" Bob asked, turning to face the woman. "What are you going to do?"

"What? You don't need me anymore?" Sandra asked, looking around the group of faces.

"That's not what I'm saying," Bob snapped. "I just think it's time you thought about your future. These guys are serious about protecting themselves. They're serious about killing you."

"Luna promised to keep her safe," Aaron interjected.

"since when do you believe anything he says?" Brent asked.

"Besides," Sandra jumped in. "If that was the only consideration I think I'd be better off here. Safety in numbers, you know."

"She's got a point," Dean agreed.

"Aren't we getting a little sidetracked here?" Mickey asked. "Sandra is one of us. Until she gets sick of us and wants to leave, no one is sending her away.

'Now, to address the real purpose of this discussion, we need to decide whether we're going to stay here, move somewhere else or join up with Luna and his bunch."

Boos reverberated through the room at the last option. Gabriel smiled from his position along the west wall. He was enjoying the company. Even though some of them, Dean and Bob especially, occasionally gave him a strange look.

"They're still upstairs so shut up," Aaron hissed. The ruckus slowly lost its steam. Then Aaron was the center of attention.

"I'm for moving," Mickey stated, once he could be heard. "This place is turning into Grand Central Station."

"Yeah!" sounded around the room.

"All right," Aaron said, trying to restore order. "I'm going to assume it's unanimous."

"The next question is where," he continued.

"Up north," Bob suggested.

"You mean out of the city?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah," was the quick response.

Further discussion was pre-empted by the arrival of Degolas. As a whole, all of the assembled people turned to face him.

"I'm story to disturb you," Degolas said, centering his attention on Aaron, the recognized leader. "Cash has been asking for you and the lady. He is becoming rather irritated."

Without hesitation, Sandra was out of her chair and headed for the stairs. She was followed shortly by Aaron.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

When the two reached the room, they found Julian standing just outside the door looking in. It was obvious from the expression on his face just how much his friend's condition pained him. Sandra placed her hand on his shoulder on her way by. The human, looking much healthier than before, was completely oblivious to the turmoil around him.

Cash was huddled in the corner, holding onto his head and groaning quietly. Cautiously, Sandra advanced. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"My head!" It was hard to hear exactly what he was saying, his voice being muffled by his arms.

'It's okay." Sandra had reached him and was kneeling down beside him. The boy was trembling. "It's okay."

"What's wrong?" Aaron asked, stopping a few feet away.

"Images, flashing by so fast I can't really see them," Cash whispered.

A sudden urge to hold the boy and rock him like a child overwhelmed Sandra. Taking care of the kindred men had brought out her maternal instincts. Moving in a little closer, she wrapped her arms around him. There was an instant of uncertainly, and then Cash's arms snaked around her and nearly crushed her in their desperation. He was scared, terrified. She could feel it in the tightness of his muscles and the way he trembled. "It's going to be okay," she whispered in his right ear. Gently, she began to rock, back and forth.

OOOOO

By the time Cash was calmer and the pain mostly gone, Sandra's back ached. Carefully, she helped him up into a standing position before easing him over to the bed. "Get some sleep," she said, pulling a thin blanket over him as he settled down. Cash caught hold of her hand just as she was going to pull it away.

"Thank you," Cash whispered, releasing her hand as he slipped into a deep sleep.

"You're welcome." Turning to leave the room, Sandra found Aaron and Julian watching her.

"What can I do for you?" Sandra asked. All she really wanted to do was get as far away from the Prince and his people as she could get. Promise or not, she didn't trust him.

"You've all ready done it," Julian replied, genuine gratitude in his voice.

On her way by, Sandra stopped to check on the human. A small moan escaped his lips. Then his eyes flickered a few times. They finally came to rest on Sandra after a few false starts. "Blood hell," he mumbled a definite English accent there. "What happened?"

"It's a long, involved story. One I doubt you would believe anyway," Sandra stated.

"How do you feel?" Sandra was getting tired of asking that question and hoped everyone would stay healthy so she wouldn't have to ask it again for a long while.

"Like I've been run over by a train," the man replied, quickly taking in his surroundings and the other people in the room. "Where am I?"

"In an abandoned building we call home. You were attacked and nearly killed. Unfortunately, we were not in a position to take you to a hospital," Sandra informed him.

"Who are you? Homeless people?" the man asked.

"No, we're not homeless. We just can't afford a place big enough for all of us. My name's Sandra. Do you know yours?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I do. My name is Sean Luthen, I'm a doctor."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Luthen, I wasn't sure how badly you'd been affected," Sandra answered feeling a sense of relief. A doctor was someone they could really use, provided he decided to stay with them.

"Affected by what?" Dr. Luther was struggling to reach a seated position. "Was I mugged?"

"In a sense you were. Look, if I tell you all of the details, you are honestly going to think we're all crazy. So let's suffice it to say that you have lost a lot of blood and we were unsure of the long term effects."

Aaron slipped by the woman, caught hold of Luthen's arm and helped him until his back was braced against the bedroom wall. Once he was comfortable, the English man tentatively touched the wounds on his neck. "What? Did someone bite me?" he asked searching the faces around him.

"Yes. Look, I think you had better get some sleep. You're a little on the wobbly side," Sandra suggested.

"What happened to your neck?" Dr. Luthen asked as he settled under the covers, his eyes all ready starting to close.

"We have a mutual friend," Sandra said over her shoulder as she checked on Cash one last time before leaving the room.

OOOOO

"We've been thinking," Bob stated.

Sandra and Aaron had met the closely shaven man and his partner in crime, Dean, just as they reached the bottom of the stairs. The kindred Premagins were hovering near the sick room and were out of hearing range. Or so they thought.

"That's a scary thought," Sandra said. When these two got together, things happened, but not necessarily good things. Both men frowned at her. Humour was not a strong suit.

"Okay, what?" Aaron was quickly running out of patience. He didn't like feeling out of control.

"We were thinking about our next location. Preferably some place remote but big," Bob stated.

"That narrows it down, Bob," Aaron stated.

"Well, Dean and I thought we'd take the fan and go scope out the possibilities," Bob added. He tried to ignore the impatience in the older man. They were all tired.

"What happens when the sun comes out? No, let's not get too excited and give it some time," Sandra interjected.

Boards on the stairs creaked, making the duo jump, Aaron and Sandra having their backs to them. Julian and Degolas joined them at the bottom. "I may have a place for you and your people to life," the dark haired kindred stated, having overheard the conversation. Instantly Bob and Dean were on guard, glaring at the man.

"Yeah? And where would that be, in your mansion?" Dean scoffed. Angry, he turned to go to the common room down the hall. The last thing he wanted to do was to listen to this man.

"Dean," Sandra chastised him.

"It's all right, I understand his hostility. As a matter of fact, there is a house in the mountains. It would be big enough for all of you and we never use it."

"Why would that be?" Aaron asked, somewhat sceptical.

"It's a long trip, two days. We have little reason to go out there. I bought it as a real estate investment," the Prince finally admitted, shuffling a bit uncomfortably.

"And why would you be offering this to us, the people you want to assimilate? Does the name 'Borg' mean anything to you?" Sandra was enjoying the older man's discomfort.

"I am very grateful for the kindness you and your people have shown Cash. I had given him up for dead.

"For that I am in your debt. This is something I can do to start to repay it," Julian said.

"What about killing all humans who know?" Aaron asked. He led the way to the common room. The hallway was too dark and dingy to be having this conversation. He preferred to see people's faces so he could tell if they were lying.

"I have given my word," Julian snapped, a momentary flash of anger surfacing. Paranoia was wearing thin.

"It's not you we're worried about." For her part, Sandra was bored to tears with this line of questioning. A quick glance at Aaron and she was gone, into the common room to check on Sam to see how he was getting along.

OOOOO

Nearly twenty minutes later, Aaron and Julian had come to an agreement. The common room was full, minus Mickey and Bob, who had decided to still keep watch. Silence fell like a cloak when the kindred Premagins entered. Every set of eyes were focused on them, some expectant, some menacing.

"Mr. Luna is offering us a house. He has finally come to the realization that we belong together and not scattered among the current clans." A scattering of applause followed the last statement.

"What does he want in return?" Thomas asked.

"Maintaining the masquerade as he puts it," Aaron replied.

"And?" Spencer pushed.

"Nothing. It's more in their interests to help us get back on our feel than it is to have us prowling the streets."

Mistrust still permeated the room. But there was also understanding. It made sense.

"When do we leave?" Brent asked. He, personally, had never cared for the run down building they'd called home.

"As soon as possible," Julian stated. "I can have three customized vans here in half an hour."

"We'll only need two," Brent stated. "We all ready have one."

"You'll need one to transport your clothes, personal items, etc," Julian said.

Brent was about to argue the point when Sandra rested her hand on his arm and shook her head 'no' as he glanced at her.

"We'll be ready," Sandra stated.


	15. Chapter 15

_I am so sorry that this has taken me so long to submit. I have to admit that the lack of reviews has something to do with this but also life just gets complicated some times. _

_Anyway, enjoy the new chapter. I won't take two months to update next time, honest!! Let me know what you think of it._

_Susanne_

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

True to Sandra's word, the renegade clan had everything they wanted to take with them, including two coolers of blood packaged in plastic bottles, packed away in their van. Inspecting the stability of the boxes and bags, Sandra noticed that Gabriel was standing at the building door way. "Are you coming with us?" she asked, satisfied that no one was going to be buried alive back there.

"For a while, if you don't mind," he replied stepping into the dusty air.

"You can stay with us as long as you want. The only condition is we don't kill people unless we're defending ourselves."

"I don't think that will be a problem on a mountain," Gabriel answered, a small smile playing on the corners of his mouth.

Sandra was instantly struck by the fact that she hadn't seen him smile before. It made him even more ethereal appearing. "True," she smiled back at him.

Together they left the shed and went to the house to await the vans' arrival.

OOOOO

The trip up to the mountain getaway was uneventful. They made it in 24 hours, everyone taking a turn at the while. Gabriel thought it was wonderful, he'd never driven before. Getting a license and never aging was a bit suspicious.

For the last mile they followed a narrow, winding road that at some points had a drop-off of a couple hundred feet with no railing. By the time they reached the small mansion, Sandra was a nervous wreck. She was from the prairies. Mountain driving was not a part of her experiences.

Julian had been right. It was definitely big enough for all of them. Sandra had no idea what the square footage was but she did know she could fit ten of her parents' split level house into it and maybe leave room to spare. It was the biggest house she had ever seen this close up.

"Wow," Sandra said, having climbed out of the van to stare at it.

"I had a house larger than this one once," Gabriel stated, coming up behind her. The sun had gone down ten minutes before.

"You're kidding, right?" With his impassive face and virtually emotionless voice, Sandra was never quite sure when he was joking.

"No," Gabriel replied. The others were filing into the building, Aaron sending them in twos to search the rooms. They didn't want any uninvited guests.

Sandra would have questioned him further but Dr. Luthen stumbled out of the next van. He was still very weak from his recent brush with death. That had not kept him from arguing against coming here, however. He refused to believe that his companions were, for the most part, vampires.

"Here, let me help you." Sandra was at his side in a few quick steps and caught him under the arm to steady him.

"Where are we?" Dr. Luthen asked, looking around.

Satisfied that the house was secure, Aaron sent groups of two out to check the grounds. There were two other buildings on the property, a two car garage and a large shed for storing equipment and a power plant in case the electricity went out, as happened a lot during storms.

"Our new home," was the answer.

The last person out of the vans was Cash. He was moving slowly but at least most of the pain was gone. Julian had sent two of his people as guides and drivers to return the borrowed vans. They apparently recognized the Gangrel Premagin but had thus far left him alone. Now that their departure was imminent, they walked over to him. Cash looked at the two men suspiciously and started to move over to where Sandra was helping Dr. Luthen into the house, Gabriel trailing behind.

"Cash, don't you remember me?" the younger of the two asked, grabbing the man's arm as he tried to get by.

"Let go of me!" Cash hissed. It angered him that the other man was touching him.

"I'm your friend, Mark," the man persisted.

Growling, Cash pulled his arm away and took two steps back to increase the distance between them. "I don't know you," he said.

"Come on," the older man said, gently pulling his companion toward the now empty vans. "Julian told us he wouldn't recognize us."

"I guess you're right." Looking dejected, Mark climbed into the driver's seat of the nearest van. He waited for the other man to climb in and get seated in his van before backing it up and turning around. The red tail lights disappeared quickly into the night.

"Why do these people think I know them?" Cash asked as he followed the others up the wooden stairs.

"You did," Sandra answered, pushing the door open. "Before your accident."

"Oh," was all Cash could think to say. Whatever his life had been before, it no longer applied to his current life.

"I'm not sure I can live here," Sandra stated, taking in the large entryway and broad stair case. The doors on either side were bigger than her whole apartment.

"You'll get use dot it," Gabriel assured her as he came up behind her.

"I expect Scarlet O'Hara to come down the staircase."

"Different story," Gabriel said smiling.

As if on cue, Bob appeared from the hallway to the left and quickly descended to the ground level. "it's clear," was all he said before he disappeared out the front door.

A moment later Bob was back, two boxes balanced in one arm, a box and a suitcase in the other arm. Then he was headed up the stairs again.

"He's going to hurt some vital organ doing that," Sandra observed.

"WE are stronger than we look," Gabriel said over his shoulder. He went to their van, unloaded four more boxes and brought them in. "Where to you want them?"

"It should say on the boxes," Sandra replied. She paused long enough to read the lettering scrawled in black marker. "The top two go in the kitchen. The bottom two I'd just place in the hallway upstairs. At least until we figure out who goes where."

Once Gabriel was gone to the second floor, Sandra turned to her two patients. "Feel up to looking around?" she asked.

Receiving an affirmative answer from both of them, Sandra chose the closest door and set out. She had a feeling this was going to take a while.

OOOOO

One thing Sandra was extremely grateful for upon the completion of her tour was that the house was all ready furnished. Not only did it keep her from having to scrounge for things, the furnishings present in each room gave her a general idea of what it was used for.

There were nine bedrooms with fully appointed four-bolstered beds. Naturally, Sandra would have her own bedroom. As much as she liked everyone here, she had no intentions of sleeping with any of them. Dr. Luthen would also need his own room, being the only other human.

That left seven bedrooms for the kindred. They either had to double up or take one of the five couches. Doubling up would not be much of a problem. One would be awake and the other would sleep. Gabriel had taken over the cellar. Part of the floor in the basement was made of dirt. He did whatever he had to do to it to make it acceptable for his purposes. Sandra didn't ask what, she didn't want to know.

The eight left had worked out their arrangements. Sandra hadn't much of a choice. Aaron had set her up in the first room on the left hand side. He had the next one while Mickey had taken the one across the hall from her. Cash was beside him.

On the other wing, Dr. Luthen had been given the master bedroom. Half of it would be sued as an infirmary. Across the hall was Spencer. There were two smaller rooms just off the top of the stairs. The one on the right was taken by Brent and the one on the left was taken by Spencer. The last room was taken by Dean and Sam. Thomas had chosen to sleep on the couches downstairs.

Despite the enormous kitchen with island, Sandra's favourite room was the library. While there were none of the books she preferred, _Star Wars_, etc there were still several that intrigued her. The next one she liked was the sunroom on the back of the house. It was wonderfully bright, would be excellent for watching a thunder storm and had a beautiful view of a small wildflower garden and the mountainside beyond. Sandra thought she'd found heaven.

The first night was spent settling in and figuring out a schedule. Gabriel, who could not go out in sunlight under any circumstances, volunteered for the night shift, as did Thomas, whose pale complexion would fry quickly. Dean, who was a night owl anyway, also volunteered, as did Bob, who didn't trust anyone to do the job as well as he did.

The others would handle the day shifts, even thought it meant staying indoors most of the time. They'd patrol the grounds in two hour shifts to prevent unwanted burning.

It was nearly ten o'clock before Sandra could make herself a couple of sandwiches. Exhausted, she wasn't really paying attention to the dark window in front of her. Using a sharp knife, she cut six slices off a tomato, cut two of the slices in half and placed them on the pieces of bread. She was reaching for the salt and pepper, sitting on the window ledge when she saw it. Just within the range of the light fixture floated a pale face.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The face was narrow and long, dark hair hanging partially over a pair of ice blue eyes. He had a long nose and a small mouth. He was staring right at her, expressionless. Sandra felt a chill travel down her back but she had no inclination to call for help. As bizarre as the floating head appeared, she knew it had to be attached to a body, probably clothes in black.

Sandra's hand had stopped in mid-reach, hovering just above the shakers. She had no idea how long she stood there like a statue, staring at the face. Sandra took in every detail, from the two day growth of stubble across the cheeks and chin to the startling intensity of the eyes.

"Sandra, is something wrong?" It was Bob, coming into the kitchen. He was off to her right and couldn't see outside the window.

Startled, Sandra jumped and knocked the shakers to the countertop below. By the time she looked out the window again, the face was gone. "There was someone out there," she said once her heart started beating again.

Bob flew toward her and yanked Sandra away from the window. "Tell the others," he said. Then he was bounding out the side door off the kitchen.

Dutifully, Sandra did as she was told, the sandwiches long forgotten. Aaron and Mickey escorted her up the stairs to her room and took positions on either side of the door. The others had streamed out of the house to search the grounds. Moments after settling on the bed Sandra was joined by a rumpled Dr. Luthen.

"What's going on?" Luthen asked, looking more than a little confused.

"We have visitors," was all Sandra could think to say.

"What kind of visitors?" Dr. Luthen had come over to sit on the bed beside her. Sandra noticed that he looked frightened.

"I don't know."

Nervous energy coursing through her veins, Sandra stood up and walked over to the large window. It had a window seat in front of it. She leaned her right knee on it and looked out.

"Aaron," Sandra said, suddenly motionless. She wasn't going to look away this time. He might disappear again. The disembodied head was floating outside her room.

A soft sound and Aaron was standing beside Sandra. As soon as the man saw him, he vanished. Aaron nearly jumped out the window after him. He paused long enough to open the right pane and stuck his head out. In the shadows, between two of the trees below, Aaron thought he saw a dark shape but it was gone before he could be sure.

"Whatever he is, he isn't human," Sandra stated. "At least, unlike any I know of."

"Did I really just see someone floating outside the window?" Dr. Luthen asked. Things just kept getting weirder among these people. He was beginning to miss his ER in New York. It was quieter.

They didn't bother to answer him. Aaron crossed over to the door, opened it and conferred with Mickey for a few moments. Closing the door, Aaron motioned Sandra away from the window.

"I don't think he wants to hurt us," Sandra said, sinking onto the bed. "He could have come through the window if he wanted to."

"I'm not willing to take that chance," Aaron growled. He had thought putting Sandra and Grant on the second floor would keep them safe. Whoever was attacking would have to go through him and his men. People floating through the air had not been a consideration. He made a mental note to rig shutters on all of the windows, preferably steel enforced.

The intensity of the man's eyes and the hardness of his face stayed with Sandra. She wondered briefly if he had somehow hypnotized her. It would explain her gut reaction to him. Dr. Luthen glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He still looked pretty freaked.

"Just another day in the vampire zone," Sandra stated in an attempt to calm him. A ghost of a smile played across his lips.

The door opened. Gabriel, Brent and Sam came in. Gabriel's long sandy brown hair had leaves and pieces of twigs tangled in it. "We found some foot prints but nothing more," he told Aaron. A quick glance at the humans confirmed that they were safe.

"Were the prints coming or going?" Aaron asked.

"Going, we lost them after about 500 yards. We'll have to wait until daylight to search again," Brent answered. As good as his kindred sight was, it helped only marginally on a moonless night, crawling through underbrush. He thought it better to not disturb the scene any more than necessary.

"All right," Aaron stated, running his hand through his black hair. "Keep extra men on guard tonight, we'll figure things out tomorrow."

Mickey came into the room. "We should put Sandra and Dr. Luthen into Bob's and Dean's rooms. The windows are smaller," he suggested. Sandra hated to be a burden, she didn't not think her visitor had intended to hurt her or the others. She had the impression of curiosity, not malice.

"Do it," Aaron instructed.

Sandra grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a sweat shirt and followed Mickey out of the room. Dr. Luthen brought up the rear.

"Sam, you stay with Sandra. Brent, stay with Dr. Luthen," Aaron instructed.

It's going to be one of those nights, Sandra thought. Having someone awake in the room with her made it hard to sleep, especially someone she didn't know very well.

As it was, Sandra had trouble sleeping anyway. There was a tangible tension permeating the house that twisted her dreams. The floating head took on an evil turn, haunting her. Every time she started awake, she found Sam watching her from his position beside the door. There was concern in those blue-gray eyes. Instantly, Sandra's thoughts turned back to the man she'd seen and she'd be asleep again.

OOOOO

"Sandra." The voice was nearby. A heartbeat later, Sandra was wide awake, staring into Sam's pale face.

"What's wrong?' Sandra asked, concern and fear jockeying for prominent positions in her mind.

"It's daylight. Aaron and some of the others are going out to follow the tracks. He wants you to go with them. There's not going to be enough of us awake to keep you safe here," Sam sated. Sandra had to admit, he looked about ready to collapse with fatigue.

"Where are they?" Sandra asked, quickly getting dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and a flannel shirt to go over top. She'd lost all sense of modesty months earlier.

"In the kitchen, Aaron is fixing breakfast for you and Dr. Luthen."

"Okay, thanks." Sandra was almost out the door before she paused to look back at her protector. "Get some sleep."

OOOOO

Breakfast was good but quick. Aaron did not believe in wasting time. Dr. Luthen looked about as awake as she felt when he stumbled into the kitchen.

"Good morning," the doctor said, a twisted little smile on his lips.

"If you call 5am a good time to be up," Sandra replied, returning his smile.

The kindred were gathered in the kitchen, idling taking swigs from the bottles filled with blood. Their number had been reduced by the activities the night before. Mickey and Cash were being left in charge of the house. Dean had stayed up all night watching over Dr. Luthen, taking Brent's place. That left Aaron, Spencer and Brent to lead this little expedition.

Each of the kindred was outfitted with phosphorous guns, two bottles of blood and was covered from head to toe to prevent sunlight from reaching their skin. In the corner beside the back door sat two knapsacks.

"Saddle up," Aaron instructed once the humans had finished eating. Dr. Luthen looked a little lost for a moment before Sandra went over to the knapsack and pulled one over her shoulders. A moment later, he also had a knapsack and they were headed outside. Mickey and Cash watched them leave.

It was barely beyond 6am but the heat was all ready palatable. The kindred were not going to be able to stay long in the burning sun. Luckily, the tracks led into the trees. It would shield them somewhat.

Aaron was in the lead, followed by Brent. The humans were put in the middle with Spencer bringing up the rear.

Sandra was struck by the beauty of the place. She wished she could come back when she had her camera. Somehow she didn't think Aaron would appreciate stopping so should could take pictures.

They were walking along a shallow stream. The tracks had disappeared several yards back but Aaron was convinced that he'd seen a cave up ahead. All Sandra could see in front of her was Brent's back as he trudged along. Over the past hour, the young man had slowed. He was showing definite signs of fatigue. Sandra bet he didn't get much sleep last night either.

Reaching a plateau, Brent stopped, unslung his knapsack and pulled a bottle out of it. Most of their trip thus far had been an uphill climb. The chance t rest was very alluring. It took a minute or two, but eventually Aaron realized he was alone.

Stopping, Aaron turned to look for the others. Brent was hungrily drinking from his canteen. Sandra was hanging around nearby, in case he needed help. Similarly exhausted, Grant had found a rock and was sitting gratefully. Spencer stood with his back against a tree trunk, keeping watch over his companions. Out voted, Aaron retraced his steps to rejoin the others.

Five minutes passed and the group was on the move again. Aaron and Spencer had both taken swigs from their canteens to get their strength back. Despite the attempt, Brent was still lagging. Almost unconsciously, Aaron slackened his pace to match the younger man's. They were in a hurry but not that much.

OOOOO

The morning passed by quickly, punctuated only by brief stops that increased as time went on. The cave had turned out to be nothing more than a depression. Rather than give in, Aaron had continued on, certain that the culprits were nearby. Having her doubts, Sandra began to hang back, partly to give Dr. Luthen a break, he was becoming tired, and partly to reduce the distance they travelled. The thought that they were going to have to retrace their steps kept playing in her mind. Brent was dragging his back end pretty badly.

"Aaron," Sandra called. This was ridiculous, they were tired and weren't likely to make it home before the next day. They really didn't need to go any further.

Brent staggered to a stop. There was the sound of leaves scrunching and then Aaron slipped by the nearly comatose boy. "Is there a problem?" Aaron asked, concerned.

"It's time to find someplace to hold up until after dark. We're all exhausted, nearly out on our feet. We still have to get home again," Sandra said.

Anger crossed over the older man's face until he looked hard at his companions. It melted away quickly. Suddenly as tired as his people looked, Aaron was forced to agree. "All right," he conceded. "Stay here, I'll do a quick look around to see if there's any shelter nearby."

"Be careful," Sandra instructed. Nodding, Aaron melted into the trees. "Get comfortable people. We're going to be here for a little while. Stay alert though."


	17. Chapter 17

_This chapter is dedicated to Andriabow. If you hadn't sent your review I would have continued to ignore this story. This chapter is short but I'll do better next time! I just wanted to get something out so you'd know I wasn't ignoring you.  
Thanks for bringing my attention back here._

_Susanne_

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Sighing deeply, Sandra sank to a broken tree trunk and casually took in her surroundings. Following her lead, Brent was sitting against a tree, his head swivelling back and forth, probably in an effort to stay awake. Dr. Luthen had forgone the trees and was sprawled on the ground, completely oblivious. Seemingly tireless, Spencer stood just off the path they'd been following, constantly on the alert.

They were high on the mountain, from the cool breezes coming at them. Sandra figured they were fairly close to the snowcap. If they hadn't found the mysterious floater by now, she doubted they were going to have better luck further up. The man's ability to float not withstanding Sandra had the distances as being significantly shorter.

"I've found a cave," Aaron stated, seeming to appear out of nowhere. "It's big, lots of winding tunnels so I wasn't able to check all of them but it should be pretty safe."

"How far away?" Sandra asked, climbing onto her aching feet. She glanced at Spencer out of habit. The young man had definitely overcome the weakness that had prevailed since he was embraced. For the first time since she'd met him, Sandra could see the man he'd been. Smiling, she turned her attention back to Aaron.

"Two hundred and fifty yards. They should be able to make it."

Brent was all ready struggling to get vertical. The good doctor, however, was still oblivious. By the time Sandra reached him, Spencer was all ready there, shaking Dr. Luthen's shoulder.

"Dr. Luthen," Sandra said, crouching beside him and gently touching his cheek. The dark haired man jumped awake and sat blinking at her until recognition hit.

"What's wrong?" Luthen said, slowly rising to a seated position.

"Nothing. James has found a place for us to rest for a while," Sandra replied, moving back so Spencer could give the tall, lanky man a hand up.

Quickly, they joined the other where they waited at the edge of the clearing. Without a word, Aaron turned and led the way through the underbrush and trees.

It may have been only 250 yards but it was an uphill climb the whole way. Breathing heavy and sweating, Sandra was glad when they reached the cave entrance. It was hidden behind some dense brush and would be impossible to find unless you knew where it was.

After the brightness of the sun shining through the trees, the interior of the cave was black as pitch. Sandra had to stop just inside to let her eyes adjust. She was nearly thrown flat when Grant walked into her, being just as blind as she was. A pair of hands caught hold of her just as she was about to fall flat on her face. "Be careful," Aaron said close to her ear.

Feeling very vulnerable, Sandra allowed the older kindred to lead her to a safe spot, where she could sit. Similarly, Dr. Luthen was deposited a short distance away. There were times when Sandra genuinely envied her kindred companions. Devoid of her ability to see, she was forced to depend on her other senses.

Dimly, Sandra heard Grant shifting about beside her, just beyond that someone else was moving about. At the cave entrance, silhouetted against the sunlight, Spencer stood still keeping watch. Looking at him made her tired.

Someone slumped down beside her. "It's me," Brent said. He didn't want her to get scared.

"How are you feeling?" Sandra asked.

"Tired and a little fried. Nothing too serious," was the quiet reply.

"You three get some sleep. They you can spell Spencer and I," Aaron ordered from somewhere in the dark.

As she drifted off to sleep, Sandra heard Aaron moving along the back of the cave. Then she heard nothing else.

OOOOO

Sandra had been awakened by Aaron some time after dark. Thankfully, her eyes had adjusted to the intense gloom, enabling her to participate in her turn at watch. Brent had taken position at the cave entrance, being the strongest of the trio. That left Sandra and Grant positioned by the tunnels that led back from the rear of the cave. Under other circumstances Sandra would have been very tempted to do some exploring. That, somehow, did not seem like a good idea. Shrugging her pack off, she'd slept very well with it still strapped to her back, she dug in it until she found a plastic bag filled with trail mix.

Intently, Sandra watched the three entrances assigned to her, absently munching on a few pieces. While the trail mix was nutritious, full of the nutrients she would need to keep going, it also became monotonous quickly. A few handfuls and she'd had enough. In the gloom, Sandra could just barely see Grant also eating from his knapsack.

A ghostly apparition slid out of the tunnel between Sandra and Grant. A small sound of surprise came from the dark haired doctor. Relief flooded through Sandra. At least she wasn't the only one seeing it. As she watched, transfixed, a face turned toward her. With a jerk, Sandra recognized her visitor of the night before.

"Who are you?" Sandra asked once she found her voice again.

The face continued to stare at her with its intense blue eyes. A part of her mind noticed that the head wasn't disembodied like she'd first assumed but was, in fact, attached to a body completely dressed in black. His hands must have been in pockets or clasped behind his back. His body sort of blended into the shadows.

Suddenly, from the other entrances, several more bodies erupted. Startled, Sandra cried out "Aaron!" before she was grabbed from behind. Strong, cold hands had her arms and were trying to pull them behind her. With every ounce of strength she had, Sandra stepped down on the person's foot, crushing it as best she could.

Sandra doubted very much that it hurt, but it was enough to startle her would-be captor. The grip on her right arm loosened enough that she was able to slip away. Grasping the other hand, she pulled it over her shoulder, rolling it as she did, throwing the person over her shoulder.

Sandra stood up, ready for the next one when he caught her arms from the front. High on adrenaline, she didn't realize her assailant was her mystery man until after she ground her knee into his groin. She was surprised when he doubled over, she didn't think it would still hurt if he was a vampire. Then the world went black just before pain stabbed through her head just behind her left ear.


	18. Chapter 18

_Hellllooo out there! Is anyone still reading? I'm so sorry I let this story lapse again. Life got complicated for a while but now writing is again my escape. I hope to do better in the future._

_Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story, for reminding me that you're waiting. I finish all my stories it just sometimes takes a while. Well, a very long while when I'm distracted._

_Anyway, I've introduced more characters. Yep. You can shoot me later. For those of you who are curious, Gabriel is in fact Louie, Brad Pitts' character from Interview with a Vampire. However, since Anne Rice has asked that her stories not be written about on this forum, I changed his name to something equally as old sounding but otherwise kept him the same. So, yeah, Louie is Gabriel._

_The other characters I've stolen in this chapter include Michael from the original 'leFemme Nikita', staring Roy Dupuis as Michael. Sam and Dean are fairly self explanatory. They are from 'Supernatural'. Sorry, I couldn't help myself! _

_I think that's all I've add thus far but there will be more. I am my own worst enemy!_

_Take care. I hope you enjoy the new chapter. It won't be over two months for my next update. I promise!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

It was still there when she came around. If anything, the pain may have gotten worse. Moaning, Sandra tried to force her eyes open with little effect.

"She's coming around," Sandra heard Dr. Luthen say from right beside her.

Sandra was tempted to ask what had happened but then memories came flooding back. "Where are we?" seemed like a better question.

"In the tunnels," Grant replied as he gingerly placed a damp cloth against the huge goose egg that had brown behind Sandra's ear. Pain laced through her skull, overwhelming the steady thumping that had been there before. Sucking a breath through clenched teeth, she tried not to groan too loudly. She still hadn't managed to get her eyes open, although she could detect light from the red glow behind her eyelids.

"Is everyone here?" Sandra asked.

"Yes," Dr. Luthen answered. His English accent was particularly charming in the dark. "A few cuts and bruises, nothing serious."

"Are you all right?" Reid was moving close, she could hear the difference in his voice. "I've never seen you fight like that before."

"I guess you've never seen me really angry before," Sandra responded.

"Apparently not," Aaron stated.

"How long was I out?"

"A few hours, I'm guessing," Dr. Luthen stated. "The light stays the same here so I can't be sure."

OOOOO

The door to their cell opened without warming, Aaron and Reid were on their feet ready to attack. Brent had superimposed himself between it and the two humans in seconds but not fast enough. Four men seemed to appear from thin air, which Sandra supposed they could, and were standing in a semicircle in front of the entrance, strange weapons at the ready. It was the first thing Sandra saw when she finally forced her eyes open and focused.

Through the open door, a fifth man entered, slipping between two of the guards. It was Sandra's mystery man, still dressed completely in black.

"You're kind of a creepy person, aren't you?" Dr. Luthen inquired. He was tired of feeling helpless, vulnerable and afraid. So what, the vampires were stronger than him and could probably snap his neck with a flick of the wrist, Dr. Grant Luthen wasn't going to go down cringing.

"Yes," the man replied, his clear blue eyes like ice and his face completely expressionless.

"Why are we here?" Aaron demanded.

"You came into our territory," was the man's response.

"We didn't know anyone was here," Aaron shot back. Julian Luna was no longer looking like such a saint.

"Now you do."

"Look," Sandra said, forcing herself into a sitting position, ignoring the nausea that assailed her. "I can tell you're really getting off on this power trip of yours, but we came here for one reason and one reason only. Our people need to heal and rest. We've under siege ever since they were embraced. It's starting to take its toll."

Silence was Sandra's only answer. For a split second, she thought she saw a smile playing on the corners of the menacing man's mouth. Then it was gone.

"And what is your connection to them, human?" the man asked, breaking the prolonged silence.

"I found the first ones," Sandra answered. The nausea was getting worse. Swallowing hard, she tried not to puke in front of this man and his bodyguards.

"And they didn't drink you dry?" the man asked.

"That's pretty obvious," Reid spat. He hated the thought of Sandra being embraced.

"We're wasting time," Dr. Luthen interjected, not liking the color the young woman had turned. "If you've finished with your macho posturing, I would like to go back to the house."

"How many of you live there?" the man asked.

"You've been floating around our windows, you should know," Sandra stated, still swallowing bile that kept rising into the back of her throat.

Barely obvious, one of the guards shifted position to stare at his leader. Then he returned to his surveillance. It indicated to Aaron that the man's night time wanderings had not been common knowledge.

"I counted fourteen." Sandra got the impression the man was trying to defence his actions.

"Very good," Sandra congratulated him. Giving in to the pain and sickness, she slowly laid back down. She hoped the nausea would lessen if not go away completely.

The posturing continued for some time but Sandra was nearly oblivious. Curled up on her side, Dr. Luthen sitting right beside her, Sandra drifted in and out of consciousness. So, this is what a concussion feels like, she thought at one point before succumbing again.

OOOOO

When next she came to, it took Sandra's mind several minutes to figure out where she was. The chiselled walls of the caver were gone, replaced by wood, light fixtures, a bed and sheets. The chairs looked vaguely familiar but she couldn't quite place them, the same for the other furnishings. Nearing panic, things finally clicked.

She was back at her room in Julian Luna's house. The tension eased as she relaxed into the mattress and pillows. A quick check revealed to her that the nausea was gone, thank goodness, and that her headache had let up considerably.

Clothing shifted to her right. Carefully, Sandra turned her head to see who was there. Startled, she nearly jumped out of the bed before she noticed Dr. Luthen sitting in the background. The mystery man was standing a short distance from her, his face unreadable.

"Dr. Luthen was right, you are creepy," Sandra said, defensively. "Don't you ever crack a smile?"

The only response was a lifted eyebrow and a slight tile of his head.

"Fine. At least tell me your name so I can quit referring to you as 'the mystery man'."

"Michael," was the quiet answer. Sandra detected a French accent and a fleeting impression of laughter in those eyes.

"How do you feel?" Dr. Luthen asked, rising from the chair to come to her side.

"Much better," Sandra replied. "What's been going on while I was out?"

"Not much, really. Michael and a few of his people escorted us down the mountain when it became obvious you had a concussion. It's been nearly two days and we haven't run into any other problems," Dr. Luthen replied.

"Good, we could use a quiet couple of days just to recuperate." Michael's presence was unsettling for Sandra.

"Most of the kindred have all ready caught up on their sleep. Gabriel is waiting until sundown to come see you."

The door swung open and Aaron and Reid came in, followed by two young men she didn't know. A smile spread across Reid's face upon seeing Sandra awake. Even Aaron seemed to perk up a bit although he refused to show any reaction on his face.

"Hi," Spencer said, coming over to stand beside the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks," Sandra replied, returning the younger man's smile. "Who are the goons?"

The two men standing in the door way were imposing. One was probably six feet, three or four inches tall with ruffled dark brown hair and large hazel coloured eyes. Just like the members of the Renegades, he was beautiful. The other man was a little older, maybe 30, a good six inches shorter than his companion with close cropped dark blond hair and the same intense hazel eyes. It was the eyes that convinced Sandra that the two men were somehow related.

Neither man was showing any emotions on their faces, they simply stood and watched. They didn't stand at attention like people who had military training but there was still a very hard edge to them that gave Sandra pause. While not military, it was obvious that both men knew how to take care of themselves in hand to hand combat or a fire fight.

"The tall one's Sam, the shorter one's Dean. Sam isn't quite as antisocial as his brother," Reid introduced them.

"They take after you, do they?" Sandra asked, turning her attention back to Michael. Michael simply looked at her. Suddenly, the whole situation struck her as absurd. All she wanted was to be alone and get some more sleep. She felt weary to the bone.

"Could all of you excuse me? I'm still tired and would sleep better without feeling like I'm being watched," Sandra said, settling herself further under the blankets.

"I agree," Dr. Luthen stated, standing up and ushering the kindred out of the room. He paused by the door just before he shut it. "Yell if you need anything."

There was no response, Sandra was all ready asleep.

OOOOO

"Is that normal?" Aaron asked once they were outside and the door was shut.

"Considering the strain you've all been under, yes," Grant answered. "Actually, I think I'll join her. I can't remember the last time I had four hours of sleep in a row."

"Sure, doc. We'll let you know if anyone needs you," Reid said, moving out of the way. Grant slipped by him to go to his own room down the hall.

"That's probably a good idea for all of us," Aaron stated. It was getting dark outside.

"I'll keep watch," Michael said. "Just because we haven't found any trouble yet doesn't mean there isn't any out there."

"That's okay. Gabriel will be up soon. He'll keep watch wince he stays awake all night anyway." Aaron was a big surprised, that was the longest speech he'd heard the taciturn Michael make.

"I'll keep watch anyway."

"Suit yourself."

OOOOO

The window blew open. The wind caused the curtains to bellow towards her. It was a scene out of a nightmare. Instantly awake, Sandra opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings. Quickly, she searched the night table beside her to find her glasses. Putting them on, she jumped when she found Gabriel standing at the foot of her bed.

"What's wrong?" Sandra asked once the fear subsided.

"Michael's people are coming in. Some of them are wounded," Gabriel stated in his impassive voice.

"Wake the others up and get Dr. Luthen," Sandra instructed as she threw the blankets off and climbed out of bed.

"Aaron is all ready aware of the situation. The injured are being put in the den."

"Good. I'll be there in a few minutes." Sandra had found a pair of jeans, bra and a sweatshirt which she was changing into with all due speed.

"I'm to stay with you until we find out what's going on," Gabriel stated, blocking her way to the door.

"I don't care. If there are wounded down stairs Dr. Luthen will need my help. Now get out of my way or follow me, the choice is yours."


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

As soon as Sandra stepped outside the room she was immediately stopped by Aaron. The leader looked like he'd been to hell and back. Not a comforting sight.

"Where do you think you're going?" Aaron demanded. He didn't have time for this. The house was being attacked by forces unknown, or maybe not so unknown. They looked ridiculously like the creature that had made him and his people but Julian Luna had assured him that the creature was in their custody.

"To help," was Sandra's abrupt reply. She tried to slide by Aaron but was immediately stopped.

Frustrated beyond words, Aaron turned to Gabriel. "Get her to the library and keep them all safe."

Nodding his blond head in understanding, Gabriel caught hold of Sandra's arm and began directing her toward the stairs.

Walking down the stairs, Sandra found that the world had gone crazy. Men she knew and didn't know were defending entrances, windows and anywhere else the defences were weak.

Not giving the human woman time to try to help, Gabriel caught hold of Sandra's nearest arm and directed her toward the library door where four men were standing guard. "What the hell is going on?" Sandra breathed. She felt like she'd been thrust into a World War Two movie.

Once Gabriel had Sandra inside the door, he joined the men on guard. Whoever was attacking them was going to have to get through him to reach the woman and the wounded.

Blinking in the bright light in the library, Sandra took in her surroundings quickly. Dr. Luthen had four patients. For a brief moment, Sandra was relieved to not recognize any of the pale faces looking at her.

"What do you need me to do?" Sandra asked, ignoring the blatant stares. Dr. Luthen was kneeling beside a blond young man who was waddled in blankets on the floor. His naturally pale complexion was pasty. His brown eyes were little more than slits as they watched Sandra tread across the room towards them. The young man's mouth was barely more than a slash in his face as he tried to keep from screaming.

"Hold this," Dr. Luthen said. The thin, dark haired man indicated something out of Sandra's line of sight with his chin. Moving to the other side of the patient, Sandra put her hands where the doctor needed additional pressure. Then time seemed to cease as the two of them concentrated on repairing the huge gash in the young man's stomach.

OOOOO

The world was full of noise, darkness, the metallic scent of blood and unwashed bodies. For Cash, it seemed as if he were in the middle of a nightmare and couldn't find his way out.

Instinctively, the Ganghul Premagin kept close to Aaron and Spencer. The older man was consulting with Michael and some of his top men, trying to come up with a cohesive plan. They knew what their attackers were, having recognized vampires that looked very similar to the one that had made the renegades, they just didn't know why. Or how many of the Nosferatu members were outside the house, trying to break it.

Flashes of previous battles between Cash and other vampire clans kept popping up in Cash's mind distracting him from the discussion going on around the table in front of him. Images of Julian Luna, Sasha, his Premagin before he'd been staked out on a roof by the Brujah clan, kept coming as well.

Grunting against the pain the flashes were creating his head, Cash closed his eyes and with his thumb and index finger, pressed the bridge of his nose. Now was not the time. He needed to be alert and aware if he was going to help his new friends survive the night.

"Are you okay?" Aaron asked. He'd sense the smaller man's distraction but had chosen to ignore it. The boy had been through a lot in the last week, they all had.

"Headache," Cash admitted, prying his eyes open and dropping his hand. Physically shaking himself, he moved forward to get a better view of the house's blue prints someone had found. There were a lot of windows and entrances. Defending this place was going to be a nightmare. Unless, moving closer, Cash spied something on the plans. They might get out of this after all.

OOOOO

John was at a disadvantage and he hated it. The layout of the large house, mansion really, was set up pretty much as he would expect. However, every time he thought all the windows and doors were covered, the ugly ass vampires would find another way in. It was as if they knew the floor plan better than the renegades did.

Before the black haired man had the chance to follow that line of thought, the large double door he was helping defend rattled on its hinges. Glancing over at Ford, Sheppard made sure he, Sam and Dear were ready for this. Apparently their attackers had gotten tired of the subtle approach and were attacking head on.

"Remember," John hissed at his companions. "Short, controlled bursts. We don't have a lot of ammo."

The four vampires were crouched behind a barricade of overturned furniture. More furniture was piled up in front of the door as well. John suspected that some of the older items were probably antiques but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Fingering his phosphorous rifle, he tried to swallow the fear that was boiling up.

"Here they come!" Dean grunted as he watched the doors shatter along their edges and tumble against the pile of furniture. John spoke into the radio clipped to his jacket, letting Michael know they had a breach as the others opened fire at the dark shapes roiling outside.

"What the hell?" Sam breathed. They were expecting Nosferatu, what they found clambering over the pile were animals. They looked like a cross between a wolf and a devil as they crested the pile. Black, thick fur gleamed in the moonlight. White, sharp teeth seemed to float within the darkness while yellow eyes went shivers down John's spine.

Standing up to get a better shot at the lead animal, John pumped four rounds into it without it slowing. His mouth dry, Sheppard allowed the rifle to fall and pulled his handgun out of the holster on his hip. Then the creature was on him. All he saw was darkness, teeth and flashing yellow eyes. All he felt was the thick fur under his hands as he tried to push the creature off him.

Then pain racked his sides and exploded on the side of his neck as the creature sank its teeth into John's shoulder. Under the powerful jaws, John felt his collar bone snap, once, twice. The pain tried to shove him into oblivion as the broken bones grated against each other. The creature shifted, trying to pull Sheppard outside, into the milling throng of dark shapes beyond.

Gasping against the fire brands of pain that seemed to be racing all over his body, Sheppard struggled to get free. Intuitively he knew that if he allowed himself to be dragged outside he wouldn't survive long. The creature growled deep in its throat. Deciding it wasn't getting anywhere with its struggling prey, it released its grip on John's shoulder, while digging its claws a little deeper into his sides. It intended to let John go just enough to get a better hold, like around the man's neck.

At that moment, John remembered his revolver. Pointing it as best he could, he pulled the trigger. The sound deafened him to his surroundings but John continued to pull the trigger until all he felt was the dull clicking of an empty gun.

The grip on his sides had increased, taking Sheppard's breath away while he continued to pump the creature full of lead. By the time he ran out of bullets, though, the claws had retracted. The weight of the creature on top of him kept him from scrambling out. Ignoring his injuries as best he could, Sheppard tried to push the creature's bulk off his torso and legs. All he managed to do, though, was redirect the flow of blood from the creature's wounds to run along his own ruined right side. The blood felt like acid in the puncture wounds.

Just as Sheppard was sliding into unconsciousness, the weight was lifted off. Then it didn't matter anymore.

OOOOO

Fighting one of the snarling, snapping creatures, Dean saw John go down out of the corner of his eye. Firing three double barrels from his shot gun point black into the creature's face, he was somewhat gratified to see it crumple to the ground. A quick check on Sam, to make sure he was holding his own and Dean sprinted to Sheppard's side. With strength he didn't know he had, the young vampire lifted the dead creature off of the older man. Depositing it between the entrance and their bunker, Dean used its body to help shelter Sheppard. The older man was in rough shape.

"Get him to Dr. Luthen," Dean ordered two of the vampires behind him. Their reinforcements had arrived.

"Sure," Bob said. Nodding to one of Michael's men, they caught hold of Sheppard and quickly left the area, heading for the library.

OOOOO

"I think he's right," Michael said, examining the blue prints for the eightieth time. How hadn't he noticed that?

"If we can get behind them and catch them in crossfire we may have a better chance," Cash stated.

"He's right," Aaron replied, a slow smile gracing his lips. "We need two teams, one to flank left and the other right. At the moment they are concentrating their efforts on the front of the house. That gives us a smaller target. Let's get it done."

Within minutes, two teams of six were outfitted and headed for the basement. According to the blue prints there was a tunnel down there that led to one of the sheds outside. They just hoped it was far enough away to be behind enemy lines. It was a gamble but it was one they had to take.

_A/N: If there's anyone out there still interested in this story I'm really sorry this update is so short and took so damned long. I'll do better with the next one. Thanks for sticking with me!_

_Susanne_


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

Cash had insisted on coming. He felt useless and didn't like it much. He was in the middle of the two teams heading down the passage. His memories were intact for the first time in forever. But for the first time they really didn't seem all that important. What mattered most was helping these people survive this attack.

Jogging down the hallway, Cash stopped short as he stared at a wall hanging. The corridor was well appointed. The Kindred were used to living in style, even while walking between their mansion and the garage. There was something about the wall hanging that seemed a little too familiar.

"Come on, man. We don't have time to gawk at the antiques," one of the men towards the rear of the line gripped.

"Wait," Cash said. Catching hold of the corner of the tapestry, he lifted it up to reveal a large metal grate. The lock broke away easily in his hand. Opening it up, he found a stash of phosphorous weapons. "These might come in handy."

Turning to the man who'd scoffed at him, Cash handed him a rifle. Now things were getting a little more interesting. "Let's go."

OOOOO

The world seemed to be reduced to blood, torn tissue, groans and pain. Sandra studiously concentrated on her current patient. If she bothered to look up, she'd feel overwhelmed by the number still waiting. Dr. Luthen had taken to leaving the woman to work alone. There were too many patients and only the two of them to do the work.

"Ahhh," her current charge moaned. Sandra looked up at his face for the first time. He was very handsome, but then she was getting used to that. His blue eyes were staring at her through a haze of pain.

"Sorry," Sandra muttered as she turned her attention back to the damage done to the man's torso.

"It's okay," the vampire said.

Sandra got lost in treating the man's wounds again. She could feel the man's eyes on her the entire time despite any amount of pain she caused him. The longer she worked, the more the man's scrutiny was becoming uncomfortable.

"My name's John," the man said after a particularly violent outburst. He found watching the woman made the pain more bearable. The sounds around him in the library only made the pain more profound. It was nice to have a distraction.

"Good for you," Sandra responded. She wasn't really listening. The man made her a little nervous so she was trying to work as fast as she could. Besides, there were other people waiting for attention as well.

"You're human," John stated.

"You're a vampire," Sandra retorted. She'd mended what she could and was beginning to wrap him up. She wasn't really sure she needed to because vampires healed faster than humans but their supply of blood was quickly dwindling.

John chuckled quietly as Sandra taped his bandages in place. He still felt like death warmed over but he'd stopped bleeding. That was a bonus at this point. Giving in to exhaustion, John laid his head back down on the ground and allowed himself to slip into oblivion. Just for a little while.

Pausing long enough to the cover John with a blanket, Sandra quickly washed her hands and moved onto the next man. Were they winning or losing? It was hard to tell looking around this room.

OOOOO

Aaron was convinced all was lost. The enemy vampires were on the verge of breaking through the front door. The tribe was quickly running out of fighters. The others seemed to be pulling fighters out of their ass because there always seemed to be more.

Crouching behind the barricade they'd built in the entryway, Aaron allowed himself twenty seconds to catch his breath and come up with a new game plan. Around him he could hear his fellow vampires doing the same. There had been no communication from Cash and the others since they'd left the command post. There didn't seem to be much hope left. Even Michael was looking particularly dejected just a few feet away from him.

The pounding on the door resumed. Aaron wasn't sure why the vampires hadn't bothered to simply smash their way through the windows but he imagined that their feeble attempts to block them and probably some form of protection created by Luna himself were at work there. He was grateful for small mercies.

"Get ready," Aaron called as he adjusted his grip on his rifle. Taking one last deep breath, he popped up so that his head was just barely above the barricade. Beyond it he could hear the wood in the front door groan with fatigue. Aaron had to admit that he understood perfectly how the battered door felt.

Then the door gave one last groan. That sound was followed immediately by shattering as the wood gave way. Beyond it he could make out the horrible faces of the vampires. They were even uglier than Aaron remembered. Their pale faces were twisted into almost animalistic expressions as they charged through the hole they'd made.

"Now!" Aaron shouted as he opened fire on the first one. Around him he could hear the others shooting as well. It would probably be all for nothing but at least they would go down fighting. Gritting his teeth, Aaron aimed at the next intruder and the next, snapping off shots as quickly and as accurately as he could.

A heartbeat or a century later, Aaron wasn't sure, there was a low tone emitted from his rifle. Swearing furiously, Aaron glanced down at it. The charge was depleted. As if to prove the point, the next time Aaron pulled the trigger nothing happened. The vampires were still barrelling through the hole in the door. A quick glance around proved to Aaron that he wasn't the only one in that boat. Fear started to gnaw at his stomach.

More and more the rifles were running out. Soon the only sound on their side of the barrier was the firing of more ordinary weapons, hand guns and such. As soon as the type of weapon changed so did their ability to keep the vampires outside the door. Aaron pulled his handgun out of the holster on his hip and began shooting as fast as he could. They were about to be overrun.

The sound in the entryway was deafening. Still, Aaron could plainly hear his own heartbeat in his ears. It was accelerating rapidly. Then it was drowned out by another, louder sound. The vampires trying to get through the door paused for the briefest of moments. Some even turned to look behind them. Then they were falling over each other, desperately trying to get out of the doorway, back out into the night.

"What the hell?" Aaron gasped. He'd run out of bullets. He was just preparing to meet his maker. Now it seemed things were the other way around.

As the last few vampires were gunned down at the bottleneck that the entrance had become, Aaron was only moderately surprised to see Cash and his team mates through the narrow opening. A ragged cheer went up among the remaining members of the tribe as the realization that they had won dawned on them.

"What the hell?" Michael asked as he came up beside Aaron. Around them the other members were slowly rising out from behind their barricades, those that could, while others were being rushed off towards the library to have their wounds tended to.

"I'm sorry we took so long," Cash stated as they made their way through the sea of bodies that were left behind. While he moved forward, he was careful to not step on anyone. He wasn't willing to disrespect even their dead bodies that way.

"Better late than never," Aaron quipped. He could have kissed the younger man at the moment. Even in the carnage of the room and all around, he could have danced. They'd made it. Beyond all reason, they'd survived the attack.

At that moment there was an incongruous noise. After the sounds of dying and pain, it took Aaron a moment to realize what it was. A phone was ringing, incessantly. Rather than repeat the same statement again, Aaron wandered over to where it hung on the wall. Damn but this place was dated.

Picking it up, Aaron was well aware of the absurdity of the whole thing. Who the hell would be calling them? "Hello?" he said, looking at Michael and the others as they began the grim process of dealing with the dead.

"This is Julian Luna," the voice on the other end stated. "I wanted to check to see how you were making out in your new home."

"Ahhhh..." Aaron said, his mind temporarily going blank. How did he describe all of this in twenty words or less? He could feel Michael looking at him while he organized the disposal teams. There was question in his expression.

"Is everything all right?" Julian asked. He knew he was speaking with Aaron but he could also tell that something was amiss. He was also well aware that something was wrong.

"Well, we were attacked by a large group of those vampires, like the one that made us," Aaron finally got out. He wasn't sure Michael and his people would appreciate him outing their presence to the Prince.

"Is everyone all right?" the Premagin demanded. Aaron would have been pissed off if he hadn't heard the concern under the brisk tone.

"No, everyone is not all right. We have several wounded. Dr. Luthen and Sandra are trying their best to deal with them but we need more supplies," Aaron stated. If anyone had the resources to save those that had been injured, it was the man on the other end of the line.

"I will be there as soon as I can," Julian stated. Then the line went dead.

"What the hell was that?" Michael asked. The question was completely out of character for the vampire but the whole situation had set him a little off edge.

"The man who owns this house, our benefactor, he's on his way here," Aaron replied.

"I feel safer all ready," Dean growled as he and the taller boy picked up a body between them. They weren't completely unscathed by the whole episode but they were in better shape than most. The faster they could get the house looking as it was, the sooner the whole thing would be over. Dean hoped.

"Dean," Sam said, grinning at him. He understood completely but the man really was trying to do his best for them.

"Well, it's true. Now he shows up after all the fighting is over," Dean grumbled as they left the room, the body still hanging limply between them.

"Is it over?" Sam asked.

Listening to the two Aaron realized he wasn't sure it was over either. There could be more of the monsters waiting in the wings. They could be waiting until the tribe thought they were safe before attacking again.

"We should go check on the doctor," Michael said. It was a good a place as any to go. He wanted to check to see how his own people had faired. Although, at the moment, he wasn't sure there was much difference anymore between the two groups.

"This way," Aaron said. He wasn't sure the other vampire knew his way around.

OOOOO

The library was in turmoil. The number of wounded was beyond anything Aaron could have imagined. Luckily, though, the doctor and Sandra had kept them all alive. Judging by the marks on Sandra's arm and Dr. Luthen's he realized that they had been using any means necessary to keep them with them.

"Is it over?" Sandra asked. She and Luthen had stopped in their ministrations long enough to see who had come inside. They knew it wouldn't have been anyone out to hurt them, Gabriel would make sure of that.

"I think so," Aaron responded. Behind him he felt Cash. The man was hovering. Apparently he couldn't think of anything better to do. After saving their asses, Aaron didn't mind.

"God, I hope so," Luthen said, wiping a hand across his brow. Both of the humans were pale. They'd been feeding the most desperate cases from their arms after the blood supply had run out. It was that or face losing some of the men. Neither of them could stomach the thought.

"Luna is on his way here," Aaron said as he scanned the room. Every corner, every inch of carpet was occupied. Were there really that many of them? Aaron was immediately struck by the thought that the house wasn't big enough. And there was no way in hell he was going to live in a cave.

"Really?" Luthen said. He had turned his attention back to his charge. The man was one of the last brought in. He needed blood and a little time. Hopefully with Luna's arrival they would have lots of both.

"The cavalry is on the way," Sandra scoffed. She too turned back to John. The man was one of the worst wounded. While he was healing well for a vampire, he too needed more blood.

"Let's hope so," Aaron stated.

OOOOO

The Calvary did show up. Luna came in with six helicopters. They were loaded with blood, medicine and enough reinforcements to keep the fight going on for another three days, maybe more.

Standing on the front lawn of the property, surrounded by pyres where the dead vampires were being burned, Aaron was actually a little happy to see the dark haired man. Cash, who had been his shadow since the fighting stopped, grinned widely and stepped towards Luna.

"Cash?" Julian asked, not quite believing what he was seeing. After the reaction he'd gotten the last time the two of them were together, he'd thought his friend was gone for good.

"Yeah, I'm back," Cash replied. It was a definitely irreverent response but he couldn't help himself. Amid the black smoke, orange flames, the smell of diesel from the helicopters and the smell of burning flesh, he couldn't remember ever being so happy. Letting his reserve down for three seconds, he clasped his friend and Prince in a hug. Julian was only too happy to return it.

OOOOO

Also on the helicopters were the Premagins for all of the clans. Julian had decided to stop putting off the inevitable. He was shocked to find yet another group of vampires that were not part of clan, except their own. The realization that there were not one but two renegade clans shook the vampire hierarchy to its foundation.

Amid much pressure from Cash, Julian realized that he couldn't force them to integrate with the others. The clans were all ready looking down on them, like they would a human. Well, except maybe Sandra and Dr. Luthen. While the humans knew too much, they had also kept a great many vampires alive. That lone had kept them human.

That led to a whole other range of problems. When it was suggested that the two clans be separated, both Aaron and Michael had refused. They'd fought beside each other. If there was anyone in this world they trusted it was each other. Luna was just a little above the other Premagins in that department.

"Well, the house isn't big enough for all of you," Luna protested. The Premagins, Julian, Michael and Aaron were seated at the kitchen table. All around them the others were still working to clear the damage done by the numerous battles that had taken place.

"We are not going to buy up a subdivision so that you can all have your own houses," Lily added. She understood the comradry among the two factions but the complications went beyond that. She was still all for splitting them up.

"We aren't used to being that far away from each other," Aaron stated. He had no idea what to suggest either. He just knew that splitting them up, even with a few walls, wasn't going to go over well.

"What, you want a communal living space? Other than a gymnasium I don't think we're ever going to find anywhere large enough," Lily said. The last thing she wanted to be doing at the moment was arguing with these two.

"Enough," Luna growled. The tension in the room was palpable. And it wasn't going to get any better until they came up with a solution that worked for all of them.

"They're being unreasonable," Lily spat.

"Stop it," Luna growled. "We aren't splitting them up. That is not an option. We need to figure out something that will work. Clearly, there are forces that even we are unaware of at work here. We still need time to investigate who or what created all of you. However, I'm not going to leave you here. This place isn't safe either."

"What would you suggest then?" Aaron asked. The only Premagin he looked at besides Luna was Cash. The others just irritated him too much.

"We will have to find a location that is suitable to all of you. If I have to build it I will. In the mean time, I would like you all to come back with me to my own home. It's large enough to accommodate all of you with only minimal crowding," Luna said.

"Julian," Lily gasped. That was not the option she was considering. Trying to use mind control on them was a better possibility to her. The other Premagins voiced their shock as well, with the exception of Cash. He loved the idea. He too lived most of the time in Julian's house.

"There are still things to be considered but this is the best option for now. We will start ferrying everyone in the helicopters, starting with the wounded," Julian said. He wasn't going to deal with any more discussion. This was as good as it was going to get for now. The problem of the two tribes had not been solved. He honestly wasn't sure that it ever would be. For now he had to content himself with the thought at least they were all safe. He owed them that much for bringing Cash back to him.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Julian looked across the table at his chief of security and friend. He was Cash's respect for him and love reflected in his friend's face. For that, Luna would give anything.

"Let's get started."

THE END

_A/N: Hello! Anyone out there? Yeah. This took WAAAAY too long to finish. I'm terribly sorry. I'm also terribly sorry for the sucky ending. It's the best that will currently come out. My muse has been on permanent hiatus so finishing this has been like pulling teeth...without anaesthetic._

_I may in future do an epilogue. That is currently my intention but I will have to wait and see what my muse does. I'm at its mercy right now._

_Thanks for sticking with me. _

_Susanne_


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